Sweet tragedy
by cherry fantasy
Summary: #ON HOLD, see profile# A plane crashes. The Beyblade World Champion was onboard. He's dead, everyone says. Five years later, Kai sees a hooded stranger at the BBA Grand Get Together... but is it really a stranger ? /YAOI : TyKa, MaRa/
1. Troublesome departure

**A/N : Hi everyone ! How's it going ? Anyway, here's my first Beyblade fic ! Hope you'll like it !**

**Disclaimer : **No, I don't own Beyblade or any of its official characters. Life is cruel that way...

**Warnings : **There will be YAOI, meaning maleXmale relationship, so if you don't like it, leave now. Nobody's forcing you to read this. Flames will be totally ignored.

**Pairings : **Mainly Ty/Ka (God I love that one !), but some Ma/Ra too and maybe hints of others...

**Well, I think that's about it. Read and enjoy !**

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**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

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**Chapter one : Troublesome departure**

_Bay City's airport, 10:03 a.m. _

It was ten in the morning, and the airport was so crowded that you couldn't take two steps without colliding with someone. It was already annoying even if you weren't in a hurry, but it was enough to drive you nuts when you were late to catch your flight...

" Hurry up, Tyson, we're gonna miss our plane ! " shouted a blonde-haired teen with light blue eyes.

" And what the Hell do you think I'm trying to do ! " answered another teen with midnight blue hair and eyes.

Tyson Kinomiya and Max Mizuhara were trying desperately to slip through the crowd the fastest they could without losing their bags or being trampled on, which was a particularly hard task. Luckily their suitcases were already registered and packed with the other luggage.

After bumping into someone for the - oh what, thousandth time ? - , Tyson's already thin patience was starting to wear out. He growled ; his shoulders were aching from the weight of his bag and he could feel a headache coming. _' Why am I doing this again ? ' _he asked himself. The answer flickered in his mind : Kai.

Kenny, Max and him were going to Kai's place in Russia for their annual meeting. After their last championship and victory against BEGA, four years ago, the former Bladebreakers had all gone their own ways, however they had never lost contact and would meet up once a year at a certain date and place. The first two times had been at Tyson's dojo, the third one at Ray's village in China, and this year they were going at Kai's house in Russia. Next year they would probably go at Max's hometown in America.

At first, Tyson had been sad to part with his friends. He was a people person and wasn't usually doing well alone. His fiery temper demanded attention and his eagerness to socialize implied that he needed his friends around him. His former team mates knew that and had felt guilty about leaving. But Tyson had surprised them by just smiling and saying that he would be alright as long as they were keeping in touch and if they could visit once in a while. They had immediately accepted and then Ray had come up with the idea of an annual meeting. Everyone, especially Tyson, had thought it a wonderful idea.

Max had gone back to America with his mother. He was actually studying in a renowned university and was planning to become a scientist like his mom.

Ray had returned to China and was teaching little kids to beyblade. A lot of his students were doing very well, no doubt they would become pros in a few years.

Kenny, as the little genius he was, had been accepted in a famous university at Kyoto. Whatever he wanted to become, it would surely have something to do with informatics !

As for Kai, he had took over his grandfather's company after the old man had died in prison three years ago. The young blader was now the president and owner of this company and a very powerful businessman. And, no need to say, he was totally loaded. His principal residence was in Russia, but he was also travelling a lot for affair.

Daichi had said that he was going back home and they hadn't heard about him since then, except for a few letters here and there saying that he was alright and that everything was fine for him. He was the only one who wasn't coming to their _reunions_, most of all because he couldn't afford to travel this far. But he had said in one of his letters that he didn't mind and ordered them to have fun without him.

Their most loyal fangirl, meaning Hilary, was going to a "just-for-girls" private school at Osaka and was doing pretty well too. She was also coming to their annual meetings since she was now practically considered a member of the team.

And Tyson ? The World Beyblade Champion was still living in Bay City and was actually going to college. And surprisingly, his grades were very good. He had matured a lot since a few years. Oh yes, he was still loud and cheerful and even a bit childish, but you could now see something older in his eyes, like a better understanding of the world. Tyson wanted to be a teacher. It took him some time to decide, but he finally came up with that particular profession, because he loved to help people and teach them new things.

**« Flight #164 from Bay City to Moscow will take off in 10 minutes. To those concerned please present at gate #5 and be assured to have your passports with you and that your luggage are correctly registered. We wish you all a pleasant journey. »**

The calm feminine voice that came out of the speakers brought Tyson back to the present as he hurried to catch up with Max. He bumped into a tall man who shoved him off brutally with a : " Watch where ya going, kid ! ". _' OK this guy has a death wish ' _thought Tyson, repressing his urge to jump on the man and beat him up savagely. He heard Max shout something in front of him, somewhere in the sea of people :

" Oi, Tyson, I think I see the gate ! "

_' Wonderful. If I get there in one piece I promise to give up chocolate for a whole week ! ' _thought Tyson. And it was indeed quite a sacrifice coming from him !

Kenny was probably already at the gate waiting for them to show up. Him and Max had come to Tyson's place three days before so that they could take the plane together. The more the merrier, like they say ! Tyson could imagine his friend perfectly just now, waiting at the gate with his hands on his hips and taping his foot on the floor impatiently, looking at his watch every five seconds. Tyson smiled. Kenny was a bit of a geek but he was one of his best friends, and he wouldn't change anything about him.

Max was the cheerful one of the gang, always bouncy and wearing that huge smile on his face. He was making everyone happy with his hyperactive attitude, and it was ten times worst when he was on sugar-high ! But seriously, it was almost impossible to get angry with him, especially when he was giving you his famous ' puppy eyes ' ; Ray, the neko-jin, was the reasonable one, always calm and gentle. Hi advices were precious and he brought a certain harmony in the team. But hey, don't get on his bad side or the guy could become dangerous ! He had claws and fangs and he knew how to use it... ; Kai, the strong one, the leader, brave and fearless. He had cost them some troubles in the past, but he had amended himself. He had managed to earn their trust back and was now an important pillar of their group. His cold attitude was diminishing and he was becoming more open with the years. It was really a sight to behold !

Tyson had to admit it, he had a thing for their former captain. Since that day after his victory against Brooklyn, Tyson had realized that his feelings for Kai had somehow grew stronger than simple friendship. He couldn't help it, it had just... happened. Of course he hadn't told anyone, especially not Kai. He knew his feelings wouldn't be returned, and he didn't want to lose their friendship he had worked so hard to gain. So he kept pretending and acting like normal, with his goofy smile and carefree attitude, hoping that no one would notice. And so far, it worked. Or so he thought...

Suddenly, through the buzzing sound of everyone's talking, the Champ heard a little voice at his side :

" Excuse me ? "

Curious, Tyson stopped and turned around to see who was speaking ; it was a young brown-haired boy with big blue eyes, which were full of tears at the moment. The child seemed frightened and was trembling slightly. Swallowing, he asked again :

" Excuse me ? Are you Tyson, the Beyblade Champion ? "

" Yes I am " Tyson answered, a little confused. From the look on the kid's face, he wasn't there for an autograph...

A look of relief passed on the little boy's features as he suddenly launched at Tyson and grabbed his pant leg tightly in his small hands. The Champ stayed still, not really knowing what to do. Finally, he asked :

" Hey kid, what's going on ? Why were you looking for me ? "

The boy answered timidly, tears now flowing down his cheeks :

" I wasn't looking for you, but I got lost and I couldn't find my mom anymore ! Then I saw you and I recognized you because you're my hero and please would you help me find my mommy ? "

The child was sobbing now, clinging to Tyson's leg for dear life. The blue-haired teen didn't know what to do. He turned his head and saw Max who was slowly vanishing in the crowd toward the gates, then back at the little boy who was looking hopefully at him. _' I'll miss my flight... ' _he thought nervously. But he couldn't just abandon this child there either ! Sighing, Tyson kneeled down and smiled at the boy.

" What's your name ? " he asked softly.

" Sano " the kid said.

" OK then Sano, now what do you say we both go search for your mom ? "

The boy's face lit up and he smiled brightly at Tyson. The Champ smiled back, got up and took Sano's hand in his larger one. Then they walked toward the reception, further and further away from the gates.

Outside, flight #164 from Bay City to Moscow was already taking off.

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**A/N : Ok, we got ourselves a first chapter ! So, did you like it ? Review&review please !**

**See you in the next chappie !**


	2. Separated

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**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

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Chapter two : Separated

_In the plane, 10:27 a.m._

" I knew it ! " exclaimed Max rather loudly.

He and Kenny were both sitting in the plane that would bring them to Moscow's airport. The seats were comfy, the view was great, the stewards were friendly, everything was fine, except the fact that... Tyson wasn't there.

" I knew it ! " nearly shouted Max once again. " I knew that idiot would miss his flight ! I had told him to follow me ! "

" Max, may I remind you that you were late as well ? " Kenny said, sighing.

" Maybe, but ' **I **' got on the plane, unlike a certain idiot we know ! "

" Only because I kept you a seat and pleaded the steward to wait for you " retorted Kenny.

" That... that's not the point ! " said Max angrily.

Kenny rolled his eyes (A/N : does he have eyes anyway ?). He knew Max wasn't really angry. In fact, the blond teen was worried to the bones and it was so obvious that some other passengers were actually looking at him with sympathy. Kenny was a bit worried himself. True, getting in that kind of situation was a lot like Tyson, but... Who knows ? There was always a slight possibility that something might've happened to him. _' Great, now I'm getting worried too ! ' _thought Kenny. Max and him were both paranoids...

" Calm down, Max, I'm sure he's fine ! You know him, he probably just got lost or something ! "

Max glanced at him and tried to relax. He wasn't really good at hiding his real emotions. Maybe he should ask lessons from Kai... _' No_ _thanks, I want to live ' _he thought with a little grin.

True, he was worried about Tyson. His friend had been just behind him but when he had reached the gates, he wasn't there anymore. Kenny and him had waited as long as possible (which wasn't much), but Tyson hadn't showed up. Where the Hell was he ! _' Come_ _on, Kenny's right, I'm totally overreacting ! ' _Max told himself.

Sighing, he settled himself in his seat. He had a cell phone, and he was practically sure that Tyson would try to call him, but of course when you're God knows how many feet up in the sky, the reception is close to non-existent. So, he would have to wait until they'd reached Moscow. _' I_ _have the feeling this will be a loooooong flight ! ' _Max thought.

o0o

_Bay City's airport, 10:32 a.m._

" Thank you, I really don't know how to repay you ! " said a brown-haired woman, her green eyes shining with gratitude.

" Really, it was nothing ! " answered Tyson, blushing a little.

He was presently talking with Sano's mother, who couldn't seem to stop thanking him for helping her son. He hadn't done much, really. He had just went to the reception with the little boy and asked the woman working there to make a call for Hitomi Yasuka (Sano had told him his mother's name on the way there). About ten minutes later the said woman had arrived and at the sight of her young son she had broke into tears, running to him and holding him close. Tyson had explained her what had happened and she had thanked him almost a hundred times since then. Honestly, it was becoming embarrassing !

Finally, the two left, but not after the Champ had to autograph Sano's shirt ! Now this, Tyson could handle ! It was practically his daily life !

Now, what to do ? He had missed his plane, that was a fact. He could've called Max on his cell phone, but he knew that the reception wasn't working when you were in a plane, so he wouldn't be able to join his blond friend.

Tyson made his calculations (yes, he knew how to calculate and he was good at it !) : Max and Kenny wouldn't arrive at Moscow before at least 6 hours, maybe a bit more. He would try to call them then. As for him, the next flight for Moscow wasn't before another 6 hours and a half, so he would have to wait until then. Tyson didn't really like to wait, in fact he despised it, but it seemed he didn't have a choice. _' Serves_ _me right for playing the Good Samaritan ! ' _he told himself.

Sighing, he went to buy some Chips and a soda, then he sat on a chair with a stupid magazine in hand and waited.

o0o

_Moscow's airport, 4:26 p.m._

" Do you see them ? " Kenny asked Max.

" Hum... wait... yes ! They're over there ! " Max said happily, pointing something to his left.

And indeed, a few feet away, were standing Ray, Kai and Hilary. They really hadn't changed that much, but it was a good thing. Max ran to Ray and practically jumped on him, causing both of them to fall to the ground. Hilary laughed and Kenny shook his head. Kai quirked an eyebrow, resisting his urge to smile. Max and Ray were in love with each other, it was obvious to everyone except for the two of them.

At that thought, Kai's heart started to beat faster. The image of a certain midnight-haired beauty crossed his mind. Heat spread through his body like burning lava, and Kai didn't need to look in a mirror to know he was blushing. How he had longed to see his blue angel... But wait. Something was wrong : Tyson wasn't there !

Looking at Max who was helping Ray get back on his feet, Kai asked him :

" Max, where's Tyson ? "

Just then, Hilary and Ray also seemed to notice the absence of their cheerful friend.

"Yes Max, " said Ray, " wasn't Tyson coming with you and Kenny ? "

" He was, but that stupid idiot missed the plane ! " answered Max.

He was frowning, but you couldn't miss the worried look that passed in his blue eyes.

" Are you serious ? Damn, trust Tyson to do something dumb like that ! " exclaimed Hilary. " What happened exactly ? "

Max told them, and soon they were more worried than angry. They looked at each other and noticed that they were all wearing the same expression, causing a thought to hit them all at the same time : how come were they turning totally paranoid when it came to Tyson ? Did they care that much about their loud-mouth friend ? The answer wasn't really hard to find : yes.

Tyson... Tyson was the soul of their group, its very core. He was their inspiration, the one that had always kept them strong. Each one of them had passed by him first before entering the team, in one way or another. They had gathered around him and his magnetic personality, and he was the one keeping them together. Sure he could be childish and immature, but he was also brave and persistent, never giving up and always willing to help those who needed it. You could trust him with anything, he had a good heart and he was the most loyal friend you could hope to have. All in all, his qualities were by far surpassing his faults.

Their train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by a little musical sound.

" MY CELLPHONE ! " Max yelled, making everyone jump in a five kilometres radius.

He picked the little ringing thing and quickly answered :

" Hi, Max here. "

There was a moment of silence, then :

" TYSON ! " he yelled again, nearly giving the whole airport a heart attack.

Kai and the others just waited anxiously, eager to know if their missing friend was alright. They listened to the one-sided conversation, trying to understand what was going on :

" Tyson, where the Hell do you think you are ? " Max was saying. " You missed the plane, idiot ! I was worried sick ! What happened ? Tell me right now ! (pause) What ? I dare you ! I'M PERFECTLY CALM ! "

The others sweat dropped. Max sure didn't _sound_ calm... The blond pursued :

" I'm not yelling ! (pause) No ! (pause) Well, think what you want, just tell me where you are. (pause) What ? But what happened ? You got lost, didn't you ? (short pause !) Hey, whoa, OK OK I get it ! Then tell me what happened "

There was a longer silence, then :

" Awww, that's so sweet ! You really did that ? (pause) Of course not I don't think you're a liar. In fact, it's exactly what a good little boy like you would do ! (short pause...) Whoa ! Jeez Tyson keep it down, I was just joking ! So, what are you gonna do now ? "

Kai, Ray, Hilary and Kenny were getting more and more curious by the second. What was going on anyway ? Before them, Max was nodding slowly, listening to Tyson's explications. Then he talked again :

" OK then, I'll tell them. (pause) No no, I'm sure he won't mind. (pause) Yes. (pause) OK, we'll be waiting. See ya ! "

As soon as Max had closed his cell phone, Kai asked for everyone :

" What's the deal ? What happened ? "

Max smiled and answered :

" Our dear friend was punished by his good heart once again ! "

They looked at him quizzically, and so he explained :

" He met a little boy as he was following me. The child was lost and totally terrified. It's understandable, you should've seen the airport ! There was so much people I was afraid I wouldn't reach the gate without losing a limb ! I know that _I_ wouldn't want to be lost in that if I was a little kid ! Anyway, the boy recognized Tyson for obvious reasons and asked him for help. You know Tyson, he's every children's hero ! And of course, Tyson accepted to help the kid, that's why he missed the flight. And that's the story ! "

Their expressions had softened. Yes, that was typical Tyson ! Then, Ray asked :

" What's Tyson gonna do now ? "

" He'll take the next flight in about half an hour and join us here. He should arrive around eleven tonight, and he asked if Kai could come and get him."

They looked at their former captain with an amused gaze ; they knew Kai had a thing for Tyson. Kai was trying madly not to blush, when he realized that they were waiting for an answer. Emotionlessly, he said :

" Sure, why not ? "

They grinned at him, not buying his act at all, and he resisted the urge to run and hide under a rock. No, he just stood his ground and glared, daring them to add something else. Of course, no one spoke and Kai smirked.

" Well, we should get going " said Kenny.

They agreed and exited the airport, walking toward the black limousine that was waiting for them (A/N : Kai is rich, remember ?). Once they were in it, Hilary sighed contentedly and said :

" That's what I like when we come at your place Kai, we're always given the royal treatment ! "

The boys laughed and Kai just snorted, but he was smiling inside. He was glad he could offer his friends, yes his _friends_, the best of the best. He knew already that they weren't friends with him just for his money, so he didn't mind that kind of comment coming from them. Also his wealth allowed him to treat Tyson all he wanted... That thought was his favourite.

He didn't really remember when he'd started to like... no, let's be honest, **love** Tyson this way. Thinking about it, he guessed that it must've been sometime after their third and last World Championship, where Tyson had once again beaten him, mind you. But Kai wasn't angry. He had come to love the beybattles with Tyson, who was probably the only blader alive that could best him and give him a worth and exciting challenge. Well, except Brooklyn maybe, although Kai had defeated that one.

Come to think of it, it was sometime after his last beybattle against Brooklyn that Kai had started to look at Tyson differently. He could still remember the feeling of Tyson's arms around him when, exhausted, Kai had practically collapsed on stage. His battle with Brooklyn had really wore him out and he hadn't been able to make it to the bench before his legs had decided to give way under him. He'd been expecting a hard encounter with the floor, and certainly not two arms wrapping around him gently and easing his fall. But before even looking up, he'd known it was Tyson who had caught him. That hadn't surprised him very much. What had _really _surprised Kai was how good he'd felt in Tyson's hold, and how he'd wished the blue-haired teen would hold him like that more often.

Of course, afterwards, Kai had told himself that he must've been delirious from exhaustion at the time and that was why he'd felt those things. However, it wasn't long before he'd found out how wrong he was. Those feelings he'd had for Tyson hadn't disappeared or even diminished, in fact they had only grown stronger with each passing day, during which (and despite his best efforts) the Beyblade Champion hadn't left his thoughts for a single second, either he was with him or not. But it wasn't until they had to part ways that Kai had suddenly realized what it was he was feeling for his younger team mate. Something he'd thought he would never be able to feel, for anyone : love.

It was kind of ironic, considering how rocky his relationship had been with Tyson when they had first met. Back then, he'd only seen Tyson as an annoying rookie who was too loud and much too reckless. In his mind, how the midnight-haired boy had beaten him was totally incomprehensible and probably just a stroke of luck. Kai had been resentful and had done nothing to hide it. He would've never guessed in a million years how much talent was hiding under Tyson's childish behaviour. But, even if at the beginning the boy had been exasperating him to no end, Kai had unconsciously grown attached to him. Maybe it'd been the way Tyson always seemed to care even though Kai constantly tried to push him away, or the way he'd never given up on him even when everybody else did, or again the way he'd forgiven him even his biggest mistakes. Tyson had always been willing to take him back despite his numerous betrayals and desertions (which Kai wasn't really proud of) and he'd always believed in him whatever the situation.

Actually, looking back on all that, it was no wonder Kai had fallen in love with Tyson. The younger blader had wormed his way to Kai's heart without even him noticing, slowly but surely melting the ice wall Kai had created around himself. It was thanks to Tyson if Kai's attitude was less cold then it was before, thanks to him that he now had friends to rely on. It was something he'd never thought he'd need, but once again Tyson had proven him wrong. And Kai was grateful for that. The empty feeling of loneliness that had always lingered in his heart since his parents' death, Tyson had washed it away with a friendly smile and an outstretched hand. Without his knowledge, he'd slowly become the most important person in Kai's life, unconsciously saving him from a faith that could've ended up much more tragically if he hadn't been there. Kai hadn't been aware of it yet, but it was only because of Tyson that he'd decided to change and to give life another shot. Had he known the results would be so satisfying, he would've tried much sooner. Tyson was wiser than he let on...

Coming back to the present, Kai looked through the limo's window and sighed softly. He desired so strongly to tell Tyson his feelings, but he feared rejection... More, he was terrified at the idea that maybe Tyson would be disgusted and never want to see him again. Of course Kai knew that there was very, very low chances that Tyson would do something cruel like that, but it still didn't keep the doubt from entering his mind. He just couldn't bring himself to risk it. A very little number of things could scare Kai, and losing Tyson forever was definitely a part of it. He couldn't even bear the thought. So, he'd decided that if Tyson's friendship was all he could have then he would take it gladly. At least it was allowing him to see and be near Tyson once in a while and that was all that mattered.

Separating had been hard though. He had missed his blue angel so much. Of course they sometimes talked on the phone and they wrote to each other, but it wasn't the same. His work was taking almost all his free time and Tyson was living so far from him. When business was forcing him to travel he would always try and stop at Bay City for a chance to see his (secret) love. Kai was also waiting eagerly for those annual meetings, because that meant that they would pass a whole week together. He always made sure that everything on his schedule was cancelled for that particular week, so that he could have at least that time to just be with Tyson.

As the limousine drove them toward his mansion, Kai thought about the evening to come. It would be great, they would all be together again and he would see his angel. Unknown to him, a tiny smile appeared on his lips.

Little did he know that in a few hours, there would be no such things as a great evening, nor would there be reasons to smile...

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**A/N : Alright ! Two done... hum, how much more to go ? I'm still not sure how many chapters this fic's gonna have...**

**Anyway, please review !**


	3. Sweet tragedy

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**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

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Chapter three : Sweet tragedy

_In the plane, 6h02 p.m. _

Tyson was poking at his salty peanuts while looking through the plane's window. There was nothing to see really, just blue with some white clouds here and there.

_' God I'm boooored ! ' _whined Tyson internally. That was one of the reasons he had wanted to take the plane with Max and Kenny. It sure would've been less boring. And to think he still had about 5 hours to wait ! _' I'm gonna **die** of boredom ! ' _he thought dramatically. He took his CD player, put the earphones on and pressed play. Then he settled himself and decided to sleep, so that time would pass more quickly.

But really, boredom should've been the least of his worries...

o0o

_Kai's Mansion, Moscow, 9:48 p.m. _

" Maxie, I want some popcorn too ! "

" No can do, Ray, they're mine ! "

" Max, really, you sound like Tyson ! "

Max just stuck out his tongue and hold the popcorn's bowl close to him. Ray tried to ignore the small (and most desirable) pink appendage and shrugged, giving up the fight. Max smiled and put a handful of popcorns in his mouth.

They were all settled in a **huge** living room, since everything in Kai's house was huge. It really looked like a palace. The room they were in now, for example, contained many couches and armed-chairs, all of them very comfortable. There was a large TV leaning against the west wall and a stereo in the left corner, just beside a big window with heavy curtains. On the east wall was even a large fireplace made of red bricks, although right now it wasn't lit up since they were in the middle of summer. Of course even summers were kind of chilly in Russia, but still it wasn't enough to light a fireplace in addition to the electric heating system. The floor of the room was covered with a rich and soft carpet, and on the walls were hanging some very valuable paintings. Everything, except the TV and the stereo, was a mix of red and brown colors, giving the place a beautiful appearance and a warm welcoming atmosphere.

Ray and Max were presently playing a game of chess on the floor, sharing (well not really) a bowl of popcorns. Kenny and Hilary were watching the TV while Kai was reading a book, comfortably settled in a big armed-chair.

Ray looked at Max who was staring at the chessboard, thinking of his next move, then at the bowl the blond teen was holding. A smirk passed on the neko-jin's face as he slowly started to reach for the bowl, not making any noise. Slightly peeking over his book, Kai observed the scene with a little grin, waiting to see what would happen next.

Suddenly, Ray grabbed the bowl and yanked it out of Max's grasp, totally surprising the boy. Max looked at him with a stunned expression for a short moment, then he exclaimed :

" Hey ! Give it back ! "

" No " Ray answered teasingly.

He picked some popcorns and put it in his mouth, chewing it with an air of pure felicity. _' Wow he's so sexy... ' _thought Max, forgetting his frustration for a moment. Then he shook his head and gave Ray his most evil smile. Ray swallowed, not really liking the look on Max's face. And all of a sudden, without any warnings, Max practically jumped on Ray, knocking both of them down and the chessboard to the side. They fought for the bowl of popcorns, that is until Kai cleared his throat and said calmly :

" Please you two, get a room. I'm trying to read. "

They stopped, blushing madly, finally realizing the position they were in : Ray lying on the floor and Max sprawled on top of him.

_' Oh my God he's so beautiful ' _thought Ray while staring at Max.

_' Oh my God he's so gorgeous ' _thought Max while staring at Ray.

Hilary's voice suddenly broke their little staring session :

" Do you think you can get up on your own or you need us to help ? " she said , her eyes sparkling mischievously.

They blushed even more and quickly broke apart. Hilary grinned and asked :

" So, which one of you declared first ? "

They stared at her with eyes as big as tennis balls and said at the same time :

" I- I have no idea what you're talking about ! "

" As if " Kai told them with a smug look. " Well, you have my blessings, lucky ones. "

" WHAT ! " they both yelled. Then Max pursued : " Why would we need your _blessings_, we're not even a couple ! "

" True, but you're both dying to be " Kai answered, grinning.

Max blushed and was about to retort, when suddenly Ray stopped him and said :

" And what about you and Tyson, Kai ? "

Kai's grin vanished and he frowned.

" That is out of the subject " he answered darkly.

" Oh really ? " Ray said with a singing voice.

Kai glared at him. He opened his mouth but before even one word could escape his lips, Kenny's voice resonated in the room, sounding totally horrified :

" Oh my God, this can't be ! "

Everyone turned to look at him and saw that he was staring at the TV's screen with wide eyes. They followed his gaze and became as still as statues...

It was the evening news, and they were presently showing something that looked like... a plane crash. For some reason, fear stroke them, inserting a sick feeling in their stomach...

On the back scenery you could see the remnants of a white plane floating in the sea, while several helicopters were flying over the area. There was also two or three boats near the accident zone, and many people in some orange suits were bustling all over the place, doing whatever they were doing with urgency visible in their every moves.

In the foreground there was a young woman speaking, obviously a reporter. They couldn't hear what she was saying correctly, the volume was too low. With a trembling hand, Kai grabbed the remote and raised the sound, his heart pounding painfully in his chest :

« ... terrible accident that took place about four hours ago, when flight #171 from Bay City, Japan, to Moscow, Russia, tragically crashed in the Oriental Sea with 258 people on board. The problem is told to come from the engine area, but nothing is confirmed yet. The police is already on the site, and so as the rescue team, but so far few bodies have been fished out, and no survivor has yet been found. We all pray for the reasons of that horrible event to be discovered soon. More details will be given tonight at 11h00. Now, about hurricane Walter that still ravages the north cost of... »

None of them were listening anymore. The charming living room suddenly seemed very cold and uninviting. The shy summer breeze was blowing softly through the open window, but Kai and the others were freezing inside. No one moved, no one spoke, they all held their breath as if waiting for something to happen. For someone to come and tell them that this was all just a cruel, twisted joke. That they hadn't heard right. That it was just a huge misunderstanding.

But nothing happened. Nothing came to relieve them from the excruciating pain they were feeling. Nothing came to fill the sudden and unbearable emptiness of their souls. Nothing came to sooth their broken hearts...

Max was the first to break down. His body started to shake uncontrollably and soon he was sobbing painfully, tears rolling down his cheeks as he whispered in a broken voice :

" T... Tyson... "

Instinctively, Ray pulled him against his chest, holding him and trying to sooth him, without realizing that he was crying just as badly. Kenny and Hilary were no better, gripping each other's hand and using the other to cover their mouths, hot fat tears running down their faces. Kai just sat there, unable to breathe, wondering why his vision was blurry, why his cheeks were feeling wet... and why each heartbeat was hurting that much.

* * *

**A/N : Oh my God, don't tell me I just killed Tyson ???**

**'Course not ! I would never kill my favorite Beyblade character ! (he's in close competition with Kai though... but since I always write them together, it's not really a problem !)**

**I'm not telling you anything else, you'll just have to read and see !**


	4. Familiar faces

**A/N : Jeez, it's been so long since I've last updated that you must've all thought I was dead or something... But truly, you know what happened ? You won't believe it : it's called "writer block". Sounds familiar ?**

**Anyway, I am very sorry for the wait, I coudn't help it. I did get some ideas during the Christmas vacations, but when I re-read it I didn't like it so I was forced to re-write the whole chapter. It was really a pain... **

**But you wanna hear a great news ? I finally made up my mind about this fic and I now know how I want it to go ! I've got ideas and I hope they'll be good. Personally I think they are but you readers might have another opinion about it. That's for you to decide ! At least you know that this fic isn't on "hold" anymore...**

**Well, now I'll just shut up and let you read this long awaited chapter. **

* * *

**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

* * *

« Hope is to continue to have faith when there is no more hope » - unknown

* * *

**Chapter four : Familiar faces**

_Kyoto, Japan, five years later... _

When you lose someone you held dear in your heart, it's like you'd just lost some part of yourself. Like if a small portion of you had died with them. It always hurts, sometimes really bad. It's like the world was suddenly taking a darker shade. It's in those kind of moments that reality dawns on you, making you realize that nothing is eternal. Nothing and no one. Sometimes they have to go. And no matter how much you love someone, it makes no difference. Death is merciless...

You think about all that and it makes you so sad and angry because you know you have absolutly no control over it. All you can do is accept it and move on. Try to forget the pain. Most of the time, that's what people do. They cry a lot, make sweet goodbyes and then they go on with their lives. But that's not always the case ; there are those times when you just can't forget.

How do you move on when the thought of the one you lost is haunting you ? When you constantly remember their face, their eyes, their smile, their laugh... When you miss them so badly that it hurts... You don't want to move on, you want to bring them back. You don't want to move on... even if you know that you have to.

Those were Kai's thoughts as he paid the taxi driver who had brought him from Kyoto's airport to his hotel. Kai gave the man way too much money but when the guy tried to give him back his change he just said :

"Just keep it"

The cab driver stared at him unbelievingly but Kai ignored him and walked toward the hotel's entrance. He had time to hear a very loud : _"Thank you sir !"_, before pushing the doors and stepping in the main hall.

The hotel was a very high-classed one, and very expensive, which wasn't very hard to guess considering the size and the luxury of the main hall. But although Kai could've afforded it with no problems, this time he didn't need to pay anything. It was all on the BBA's bill.

Kai winced ; the BBA was the whole reason of his presence here. The famous beyblading enterprise had grown a lot despite its disastrous fall during the ordeal with BEGA. It had started back slowly, but then faster than anyone could've imagined it was back to its previous glory like if nothing had happened. The BBA was now even bigger than it had been before, and of course Mr. Dickinson was its proud president.

Kai readjusted the bags hanging on his shoulder and walked to the reception with a frown on his face. He knew this hotel would soon be full of other bladers like him, if it wasn't already. Full of people he didn't want to see. Full of people that would make him remember... They would all come for the same reason as him : the Grand Get-Together special BBA.

Kai had received his invitation about one month ago ; the BBA was organizing some kind of reunion for all the bladers and teams of bladers that wanted to come, apparently to celebrate officially its successful come back. This event was also giving the beyblade teams a chance to see each other again, since there hadn't been any world championships for quite some years now.

The whole thing had been settled in Kyoto, in or near the hotel Kai was presently in, and it would last a week. There would be many activities and the invitation also mentioned that a very big surprise would be revealed to them and to the beyblade world during the third day of their stay.

Kai had royally ignored his invitation during a good three weeks. He didn't want to have anything to do with the BBA anymore, nor did he want anything to do with beyblading in general. He had banished it from his life five years ago. The only thing he had left from when he was a blader was his loyal Dranzer. Aside to that, everything that had once related him to beyblade had disappeared. He had a company to run, he didn't have any time to lose on such trivial and childish things anymore. And, more than anything, beyblading was reminding Kai of **him**...

It had been about five years since the day of his death. Five long and painful years. Five years without him.

That day, Kai remembered it perfectly ; he remembered flying back to Bay City like if he was in a transe, not really noticing what was happening around him. He remembered Ray, Max, Hilary and Kenny's horrified expressions when their fears had been confirmed. He remembered the small ceremony, with everybody crying and sobbing. He remembered the painful goodbyes, and then the separation when everyone had gone home, their heart clouded and their spirit broken...

Kai had gone home too, his heart hurting like if it had been stabbed a hundred times. He hadn't even had the chance to tell him... Now he would never know... It was too late... Kai had lost him forever...

From then on Kai had tried to forget him, to forget this emptiness he was feeling inside. Like if he too was dead. He had stopped beyblading, never returned at Bay City and he had buried himself in work. He had even cut the contact with his ancient friends. But nothing had worked. **He** was still haunting his thoughts, day and night, refusing to leave... Or maybe it was Kai who refused to let him go...

Finally, one week before the BBA reunion, Kai had given up. Nothing was working. Kai thought that maybe he wasn't using the right tactic. Maybe cutting yourself from your past isn't the best way to get rid of it, especially when deep down you don't really want to forget... Maybe the only way is to face it, then eventually accept it. Thinking about it, Kai concluded that things couldn't get worse anyway. He had to go to that BBA reunion and face his problems. He had to cure himself before he got into an emotional breakdown.

And so, he had taken his courage in both hands and packed his things for a week at Kyoto. His work could wait, he had done a lot already and besides, he needed a vacation. With those thoughts in mind, Kai had taken a plane for one of Japan's most beautiful city.

Now that he was here, his bags hanging heavily on his shoulder and waiting before the receptionist's desk, Kai was wondering if he had made the right choice. Already he was catching glances of people he knew among the slightly crowded hall, beybladers he had met not so long ago during championships, when **he **was still alive...

There, to his left and some distance away, Kai could see Lee and Kevin from the White Tiger X team talking with Miguel and Mathilda from the Barthez Battalion. To his right, but a bit closer, there was Mystel and Ming Ming from the former Bega Bladers, and they seemed to be waiting for someone, which happened to be Crusher when he joined them a few seconds later. Turning his head, Kai saw Rick, from the PPB All Starz, being lectured by one of the hotel staffs for disturbing the other guests with his radio and that he had to turn the volume down right now. Some people would never change... Looking away again, Kai watched Raul, from F Dynasty, exit the elevator and walk to his sister, Julia, who was presently talking with Mariah from the White Tiger X. No one had yet to notice him, and Kai was perfectly fine with that.

"Excuse me young man ?"

Kai turned back to the receptionist who was holding out a small card to him. She smiled and said :

"Here's the key to your room. It's on the fourth floor, door number 304. Have a great stay"

"Thank you" Kai said coldly while taking the card.

He slowly walked to the elevator, his frown deepening. There was a cheerful atmosphere in the hall, and everybody looked happy and excited. Kai didn't like it. It reminded him way too much of... Damn, he couldn't even bring himself to _think_ his name. **He **would've loved to be here, Kai knew it. Oh god how he missed him... Maybe coming here wasn't such a brilliant idea after all...

Kai was about to step into the elevator when he heard his name being called :

"Kai ? Kai ! Hey wait a minute !"

Kai turned around, trying to repress a frustrated sigh. Not even a minute later he was met with a grinning Tala who immediately passed an arm around his shoulders and said :

"Hey Kai, it's great to see you ! Wow, you really haven't changed a lot"

Kai had swapped his formal suit, which he was wearing for work, for his usal clothes (A/N : You know, his outfit from G Revolution...?) to feel more comfortable.

"So ?" he told Tala. "You have a problem with that ?"

Tala removed his arm from Kai's shoulders and said with a raised eyebrow :

"As grouchy as ever, I see"

"Hn"

"Oh Kami don't tell me you still have that damn monosyllable in your vocabulary !"

"What do you want Tala ?" Kai asked with a frown, getting impatient.

"Just to say hello to an old friend. What's wrong with that ?"

Kai glared at him for a moment before sighing an answering emotionlessly :

"Nothing I suppose. Sorry"

He knew it was way out of character for him to apologize, but Kai couldn't care less at the moment. And besides, Tala had done nothing wrong, Kai knew he had no reasons to just take out his temper on him.

Tala observed him quizzically for a moment, then he shrugged it off and asked casually :

"So, how is it going for you ? It's been one hell of a while since I've had any news ! I even asked Max once but he was as clueless as me !"

"Max ?" Kai asked, some curiosity finally appearing on his features at the mention of his ancient team mate. "When and where did you see Max ?"

Tala chuckled in a very un-Tala manner and answered :

"I see him every day, dude ! We work together !"

Kai's eyes widened from both the news he had just learned and Tala's behaviour that seemed to have changed a lot since the last time he had seen him. Taking a better look at the red-head, he suddenly noticed how much more... carefree Tala looked. Like if he had made peace with himself and his inner demons, something Kai hadn't quite achieved yet. Of course the loss of the one and only person he ever loved hadn't helped to make him open up...

Coming back to the matters at hand, Kai inquired :

"Since when do you work with Max ?"

"Jeez Kai, you really aren't informed ! Have you been hiding under a rock those last few years ?"

Kai just snorted. Tala smirked and said while glancing at Kai's bags :

"Well then just let me help you with those and I'll explain some things to you while we go to your room OK ?"

The duel-haired young man nodded and handed Tala one of his bags. They stepped into the elevator and Tala started :

"I've been working with Max since a good four years now. We're both scientists in one of New-York's most renowned institute, and we always meet at least one time in a day. Plus we are more or less working in the same branch so we sometimes do some partnership"

"You work at New-York ? As in America ?"

Tala nodded.

"Yep. I moved there too, for my job. I tried to let you know but I wasn't able to contact you, so after a while I gave up. Anyway, as I was saying, I see Max very often and by the same way Ray"

"Ray ?" Kai exclamed, shocked to hear from his other team mate as well.

"Yes" Tala answered.

The elevator's doors opened and they stepped out. While searching for room 304 with Kai, Tala pursued :

"Max and Ray are toghether now, I think it's been about... hum... three years and half, or maybe a bit more. They even live together ! I told them once that they should get married or something, but Ray almost ripped my head off so I didn't mention it anymore"

Kai let a very small grin come to his lips ; so Ray and Max were together hum ? Very interesting indeed, but Kai wasn't surprised at all. In fact he could've guessed it himself... A question suddenly brushed his mind and he asked Tala :

"Are they here already ?"

"Yes, they were in the same plane as me. I don't know where they are right now though... Probably _playing_ in their room !"

Tala laughed at his own joke and Kai rolled his eyes. So he would probably see Max and Ray soon... and Kenny and Hilary, if they came. How would they react to his presence ? How would he react to theirs ? What painful memories would it bring them to see each other again, after all this time ? Oh Kai was sure that the others had somehow kept in touch during all those years, unlike him. What would they say to him about that ? Would they be angry ? Surely they knew his reasons for doing so. Who would know better than them...?

"Room 304. That's yours, right ?" Tala asked, stopping before one of the doors.

"Yes"

"Hey that means we're not that far ! Mine is room 312. Bryan and Spencer are each sides of me"

"Really ?" Kai said while using his card to unlock the door. "And how are they doing ?"

"Oh they're doing fine. They stayed in Russia but I haven't asked if they're working yet"

Kai opened the door and he and Tala entered the room ; it was very large and well decorated, enough to be called luxurious. The bed was big enough for two persons and there was a huge window with a balcony at the far end of the room. There also was a private bathroom of course. But Kai wasn't impressed ; his usual surroundings always looked like that, sometimes even better...

Tala put Kai's bag on the floor and said :

"So ? What have _you _been doing all this time ?"

"Working" Kai answered, putting his own bag on the floor beside the other one and walking to the bed.

Tala followed him and replied with a smirk :

"Why am I not surprised ?"

Kai glanced at him but said nothing. He sat on the bed and Tala came to stand before him. The red-head crossed his arms over his chest and observed him for a moment, not saying a word. Kai was starting to feel uncomfortable when suddenly, Tala spoke to him with a serious tone for the first time since he had arrived :

"Kai, why haven't you contacted any of us during all that time ? Why haven't we heard of you for so long ? Nobody was even sure that you would come to the reunion ! I was the first surprised when I saw you ! It was as if you had just... disappeared ! There was even a moment when we started worrying about you !"

"There was no need for worry. I'm fine" answered Kai coldly.

"That doesn't answer my question and you know it !"

Kai stayed mute. Tala looked at him and pursued more calmly, somehow hesitantly :

"Kai, was it because of... of what happened...?"

"It has nothing to do with it !" Kai snapped before realizing that he had just given himself away with the violence of his retort.

"So that's what it was..." Tala continued softly as if Kai hadn't just yelled at him. "I should've known you were still thinking about it..."

He sat on the bed next to Kai, not too close but just enough to give him comfort if needed. Then he added :

"But you have to move on one way or another, Kai..."

Kai's first reaction was to glare at Tala and tell him to mind his own business, but... he suddenly found out that he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He looked at Tala, then down again. Finally, he sighed dejectedly and whispered :

"I know Tala... I know... That's why I came here... To try and... move on..."

"You think it'll work ?"

"I don't know..."

They stayed silent after that. Kai didn't even understand why he was revealing so much... Probably because he had kept it in for so long... Maybe he just needed to... blurt it out, somehow. He just needed to... tell it to someone who would listen, just like Tala was doing right now.

"You really did love him, didn't you ?" Tala suddenly asked calmly.

A few minutes passed but no answer came. Tala thought he wouldn't get one, but then Kai said slowly :

"More... than anything else in this world..."

Another silence passed. Then, Tala stood up and said in a friendly tone :

"Well, I have to go now. I'm supposed to meet Garland and Mystel in the hall, we're going in town for lunch. You... wanna come ?"

"No, I'll stay here"

"OK then" Tala said walking to the door of the room.

He opened it but just before leaving, he stopped and said :

"You know Kai, if you ever need to talk again... I'll be happy to listen"

"It's fine. And Tala..."

"Yes ?"

"...thanks"

"Don't mention it. What are friends for anyway ? So... see you tonight !"

And with that, he stepped out of the room and closed the door.

* * *

**A/N : So yes, I made Tala friendly. Why not ? I mean, for any of you who watched the second and especially the third season of Beyblade, you surely noticed that Tala isn't that bad. I kinda like this character, so yeah I made him friendly. Also, I think he can understand Kai better than Max or even Ray, since he was raised very much like him. **

**The next chapter should be posted soon since I am writing it right now, so don't panic ! Oh and please review, I would love to know what you thought of my new chapter !**

**See you later !**


	5. Old friends and remembrance

**A/N : I just wanted to thank all my reviewers for their great... well, reviews ! Thanks everyone, you rock !**

**OK, now on with the fic...**

* * *

**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

* * *

**Chapter five : Old friends and remembrance**

_At the hotel, 5h34 p.m. _

The dinner room was totally packed out, full of bladers Kai knew and others he didn't. Luckily, the place was huge and there was more than enough space for everyone. Kai was standing at the entrance, not really wanting to go sit in that cheerful crowd.

Kai hadn't met or spoke with anyone he knew yet, except Tala, but everybody probably knew he was here by now. Tala had surely told Garland and Mystel, who had told someone else, who had told someone else, etc, etc... Kai knew how it worked. The whole building was probably informed of his presence now. It's not that he wanted to avoid people, in fact he was suppose to do the opposite... But then again, Kai had never been very sociable, even before...

He sighed and turned his gaze to the dinner room again. Tonight was the first day of their stay and Mr. Dickinson was to make some sort of speech after they had eaten, so everyone was requested to be there. Kai only hoped that it wouldn't be too long...

He turned his head and glanced in the now empty main hall, trying to find something interesting to look at... And that's when he saw it.

Before him, but at the far end of the hall, just beside an elegant couch, was standing... someone. Kai really couldn't be more precise. The strange figure was just as tall as him, but it was wrapped in a long black cape with a large hood on its head that was hiding the person's face. Kai couldn't say if it was male or female, just that it wore black baggy pants and some leather boots, the only thing that wasn't hid by the cape.

The figure was just standing there, not moving. For some unknown reason, Kai found himself totally fascinated by that strange personage, not being able to tear his gaze away from it. The figure suddenly turned its head in his direction and, even though he couldn't see its eyes, Kai could almost _feel _it stare at him, looking deep into his soul... It wasn't frightening, it was more like... mesmerizing...

"Kai ?" a voice called from behind him.

Kai jumped and whirled around, coming face to face with...

"Ray ?" he said unbelievingly.

And it was indeed Ray standing there, with none other than Max and Kenny at his sides. The three stared at him with the same expression of shock, not knowing what to say. Finally Ray asked :

"Hum... what were you looking at just then ?"

"Well it was..." Kai started but stopped when he turned to look in the hall again : the figure had vanished.

He turned back to his friends with a confused frown and said :

"It was nothing, I was just... thinking"

"Oh..." Ray said nervously, not knowing what to add.

They stayed in an awkward silence for a moment before Max decided to break it by asking :

"So Kai... when did you arrive ?"

"Around 3 p.m. this afternoon. I met Tala already, he told me you and him had taken the same plane ?"

"Yes" answered Max, "along with my mom and the members of the PPB All Starz. Did he also told you that we were working at the same place, now ?"

"He did. In fact he informed me on many things, including that you two were together since a while"

Max and Ray blushed, and Kai was forced to make a little grin.

"You OK with that ?" asked Ray.

"Of course"

They smiled and the atmosphere relaxed a bit. Then Kenny, who hadn't spoken yet, told them :

"I think we should head to our table now guys. Dinner will be served soon and Hilary'll grow angry if we make her wait for us any longer"

Max and Ray sweat-dropped.

"You're right chief" Max said precipitately, "we better go now !"

"Wanna join us, Kai ?" Ray asked.

Kai just nodded and followed. If he absolutely had to sit with someone, he'd much rather sit with them than with anyone else. They _were_ the closest friends he'd ever had, after all... And he had to admit that it was... good, to see them again.

While he was following Ray, Kai thought about that mysterious stranger he had seen in the main hall. He knew he had seen it, it wasn't his imagination... But who could it have been ? He really didn't have a clue.

They stopped at a round table where a furious Hilary was waiting. Kai couldn't help but note that her hair was longer and that her curves were a lot more... hum... _defined_ than what he remembered.

When they were close enough, Hilary got up and started ranting (apparently her temper was the same as before...) :

"Where _were _you, anyway ? I must've been waiting for a good twenty minutes by now ! So what I agreed to keep your places, doesn't mean you can leave me here sitting alone and look pretty ! Where are your manners anyway ? Really, some things never change !"

She stopped to get her breath back and that's when she spotted Kai at the back of the group.

"Kai ?" she gasped.

"Hilary" he greeted her calmly.

The others quickly sat around the table seeing as Hilary's attention wasn't on them anymore. She didn't even notice as she asked Kai :

"When... when did you get here ?"

"This afternoon" Kai answered while sitting beside Kenny.

"Oh... well... I... didn't think you would come..." she said a bit hesitantly.

Kai raised a questioning eyebrow at her while saying :

"Why not ?"

Hilary suddenly seemed very uncomfortable, as if she really didn't want to answer that question. That's when it clicked in Kai's mind and he knew exactly what she was talking about. He tried to stop her but before he could she said in a trembling voice :

"Just because... you know... this place... these people... as much as I try not to think about it... it reminds me so much of him... and of how he would've liked to be here..."

By now, Kai wasn't the only one frozen on his chair, Ray, Max and Kenny were too. They didn't utter a word as Hilary continued softly, glancing at Kai :

"I just thought that... if it was hard for us... it would be so much harder for you..."

She paused a minute, then she added a bit more firmly :

"And besides, you didn't give us any news for so long that I just didn't hope to see you here"

At that, Kai felt a little guilty.

"Yes, hum, about that..." he sarted before being interrupted by Ray :

"It's OK Kai. We understand"

Kai gave him a surprised look ; Ray just smiled and so as Max and Kenny. Hilary pouted for a second before sighing and declaring :

"Yes well I suppose the important thing is that you're here now..."

"Exactly !" Max approved cheerfuly.

Kai stayed mute, but inwardly he felt very grateful toward his friends for accepting his reasons so easily.

Suddenly Max made a sad smile and said :

"Hilary was right about one thing though : he would've loved to be here..."

None of them had anything to answer to that.

o0o

_Later, 9h12 p.m. _

Dinner had passed rather quickly. The food was delicious and Mr. Dickinson's speech hadn't been long at all. He had just greeted them and talked about the activities, then he had reminded them once again about the surprise that was planned for the third day. Finally he had told them the few basic rules they would have to follow and had concluded his monologue.

It wasn't long before he was over and everybody had exited the dinner room to go do whatever they wanted to do. Some had even went to bed despite the early hour.

Kai and his friends had found a cosy resting room and had installed themselves in it to chat a little. Although Kai wasn't talking a lot... But he was listening. And so he learned that Ray and Max indeed lived together in a large apartment at New-York since a couple of years. Ray was completing his studies to become a veterinarian, and Kenny was a computer analyst right here in Kyoto. Hilary was the editor of a very popular magazine and she had gotten married with a guy named Jason about a year ago.

Kai was baffled at how much he had missed in his friend's lives and he felt a bit ashamed. But he decided not to linger on it any further, after all the past was the past, and he couldn't change it. Now if he could only apply that same philosophy to another one of his painful memories...

"I wonder what's this big surprise we're getting in two days..." suddenly asked Max.

"Yes, I'm pretty curious too" added Kenny. "I really have no idea of what it could be..."

Hilary chuckled and said :

"Well that's the thing with surprises, Kenny. You're not supposed to know what it'll be !"

Kenny blushed and Max and Ray sniggered. Kai grinned a little, then he asked casually :

"So, Ray, why did you suddenly choose to become a veterinarian ? Weren't you teaching little kids to beyblade back in China ?"

"Well, yes" answered Ray, "but then me and Max started... going out together, and at first it was OK to just see each other occasionally. We would phone each other every day or so and we could also use Internet to send messages. But after a while it became obvious that we couldn't pursue our relationship with the two of us living in two different countries, and so we had to make a decision. Finally I chose to move with Max at New-York. We took an apartment and I started studying. If I wanted to live in the big city I needed a job, it wasn't like in my small chinese village. I decided to become a veterinarian simply because I love all kinds of animals and that I would like to work with them. I'm almost finished now, I only have one year left to study and then I can go look for work ! I already have good recommendations !"

He smiled and put an arm around Max's shoulders. This one beamed and cuddled up to him. Kai asked again :

"What about the kids you were teaching before ?"

"Sadly I had to transfer them to someone else, since I was moving. But... (his voice lowered and he said the rest in a whisper) I would've probably transfered them anyway... I don't know if I would've been able to continue... I... (he hesitated) I don't beyblade much anymore..."

Everyone fell silent. They knew the hidden meaning behind Ray's words, there was no need to elaborate more.

No one talked for a couple of minutes. Snuggling in Ray's embrace, Max finally broke the silence by saying quietly :

"He wanted to become a teacher..."

They held their breath, not daring to interrupt, their hearts suddenly pounding in their chests... They were alone in the room so no one else could hear what they were saying, but Max spoke in a low voice nonetheless, as if telling them a secret :

"I'm sure he would've been great... If there was ever anyone that could turn any situation in a successful one, it was him... I always envied his determination a little... From where he was getting it, I never knew... But more than envy, I had admiration for him. I was under the impression that he could make anything happen, that when you were with him nothing was impossible anymore... He always had that strange force in him, that faith in things and in people... He was strong in every ways possible and he taught me to be strong too. He taught me to never give up even when everything seems bad and to never abandon those I cared about... He taught me so many things without even realizing it... He would definitely have made a good teacher..."

A silent tear rolled down his cheek but Max ignored it. He smiled and finished quietly :

"I'm glad I got to know a person like him... One day I told him playfully that I was happy to be his friend, and you know what he answered me ? He got all serious and he said with a smile : «I'm also very happy that you're my friend, Max, as well as the others. It's good not being alone and actually having someone that will remember you when you're gone...»"

Another tear fell and Max whiped it away with his sleeve. Hilary raised her hand and rubbed her own eyes. Kenny had lowered his gaze and Ray was just holding Max tightly, his chin resting on the blond's head. Kai's expression hadn't changed but he had a lump in his throat and he didn't trust his voice one bit at the moment...

They had all known that they would bring **him** up eventually, it was almost inevitable... Now that they were all together, among all those people they knew from the beyblade world... **His** absence was even more obvious and heavy on their hearts... Though the pain had diminished a great deal during the pass five years, it was still there...

They shared a sad but comfortable silence for a moment, then Hilary cleared her throat and said softly :

"Well guys, I think we should hit the sack now"

"Yeah let's do that" agreed Ray while the others just nodded.

o0o

Kai exited the elavator with a sigh, heading for his room. He was alone since the other's rooms were all on the fifth floor, just above him.

Thinking back on what Max had said Kai felt his eyes beginning to sting, but he willed himself to keep it in. The pain was back again, weaker than before but still very much alive within his heart... Tearing it into pieces... That was his first test, Kai knew it. He had to go through it. But it was so hard...

Sighing again, Kai stopped before his door and searched his pocket for the key. He grabbed it but just as he was about to unlock the door he heard a faint noise coming from his left ; turning his head, Kai almost froze on the spot.

At the far end of the hallway, right where it was making a 90 degrees turn (forming something like a L), was standing the black caped stranger Kai had seen in the main hall. Once again, the figure was just standing there, not moving, apparently looking at him. It was still wearing its hood so Kai couldn't see its face, although he tried... Not daring to move, he just stared at the other and waited. What was troubling Kai the most was that he wasn't wary at all of this person, despite their odd appearance. Really, how many people do you see running around in a cape ? For all Kai knew, this could be some dangerous criminal or something...

But that was the weird thing : Kai trusted this stranger, whoever it was. There was just something inside of him telling him that this person was no threat, to him or to anyone. Call it... an intuition.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the figure whirled around and disappeared at the winding of the hallway.

"Hey, wait !" Kai said.

He ran after it, but when he reached the spot where the figure had stood a moment ago and looked around the corner, he was faced with an empty hallway. The stranger had vanished again.

* * *

**A/N : Well, that's about it for now. So, good or bad ? Just review !**

**See you in the next chapter !**


	6. An eventful day

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**

**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

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**

**Chapter six : An eventful day**

_At the hotel, 8h23 a.m. _

The second day of their stay was supposed to be the one when the real action would begin. The bladers were free to chose whatever activity they wanted, and there was indeed a lot of choice ;

One of the hotel's rooms was apparently reserved only for beyblading : it was very large and contained several beydishes and all sorts of beyblading equipments. There also was some beydishes outdoors in the hotel's yard, and since today was a bright sunny day, most bladers would probably go there. Small matches would be organized just for fun, although there was some prizes you could win.

For those who didn't feel like beyblading, there was many other things to do : an arcade was situated just beside the hotel, and a there was a huge shopping mall just a couple of roads farther, close enough so that you could go on foot if desired. In fact, since the hotel was practically in the city centre, there was a lot of places to go, like the aquarium, the movie theater or the Zoo. And like if all that wasn't enough, a rather impressive amusement park had settled in town for the month, full of colorful attractions and games for everyone to enjoy.

To make a long story short, it would be very hard for the bladers to get bored during the BBA reunion.

Kai, though, was sceptical. All those activities weren't really is style, and he wasn't sure if he was in the mood for such things. But then again, he wasn't here for that, was he ?

Those were his thoughts as he walked into the dinner room to get some breakfast. It wasn't long before he spotted Ray, Max, Kenny and Hilary, all seated around the same table they had been at yesterday evening. Kai rolled his eyes when he saw Max pick his fork into a little strawberry and hand it out to Ray with a sly smile. Ray blushed but ate the juicy fruit, making sure to lick his lips very slowly in the process...

"Is it just me or is it suddenly becoming very hot in here ?" Kai heard Max say as he neared the table.

"It's just you" the duel-haired boy answered with a grin.

They all turned to him and Max said happily :

"Oh, hi Kai ! Hey, did you overslept or something ? I would've thought you'd be the first in here !"

"I don't oversleep" Kai answered while taking a seat between Ray and Hilary. "I just wasn't very hungry"

"Oh, ok then" Max just said before diving in his breakfast once again.

"So, what are we doing today ?" asked Hilary when they were all done eating.

"I don't know..." answered Kenny. "Maybe we could go in the backyard, I've heard there will be some beyblade matches"

"I don't really feel like beyblading today, Kenny" said Max while glancing at Ray and Kai.

"Me neither" added Ray.

Kai just stayed silent.

"Well... we could go take a walk in town, then !" proposed Hilary. "We're in Kyoto city for God's sake ! I'm sure we'll find something interesting to do !"

"Yeah, good idea Hilary" approved Ray.

"Ok then let's do that !" added Max cheerfully.

He grabbed Ray's hand and dashed for the exit. The others sweat-dropped and followed more calmly.

"Is he _really _a scientist ?" asked Kai.

"You know Kai, sometimes I wonder..." answered Kenny with a dejected sigh.

o0o

_In Kyoto's city centre, 10h43 a.m. _

"Oh my god Ray, look at that one ! And that one ! And this one too ! Oh and look over there...!"

Max continued to babble excitedly as he dragged Ray along the busy streets of Kyoto. Since a good thirty minutes now the blond boy was fawning over every shop windows that could come within his range of vison, all the while clinging onto Ray's left arm and not noticing the growing exasperation on the neko-jin's face. Kai and Kenny were following behind, since Hilary had abandoned them when she had caught sight of a beautiful store full of girl's clothing... Anyway, right now Kenny was giggling at Max's antics and Kai was trying very hard not to do the same ; his two friends were really something to be around !

Finally Ray decided he had suffered enough and he exclamed :

"Max, slow down ! We can't keep up with you !"

Max stopped and turned to them with a sheepish smile.

"Oups, sorry guys !" he said while releasing Ray's arm. "I guess I got a bit carried away..."

"No kidding !" retorted Ray with a sigh, but there was a smile on his lips.

"So, what are we doing now ?" asked Kenny.

"You could start by saying hello to some old friends" came a voice from behind them.

They turned around to see who had spoken ; right there were standing Tala, Bryan, Spencer, the White Tiger X, the PPB All Starz, Julia and Raul from F Dynasty and each one of the BEGA bladers.

"Long time no see, huh ?" pursued Lee, who was the one who had spoken before.

"I'm glad to see you again, Lee" Ray answered respectfully with a gentle smile to him and the other White Tigers.

Max however wasn't that tactful :

"Guys !" he exclamed with a huge happy grin. "Wow it's so cool to see you all ! It's been so long ! Well except for the PPB All Starz and Tala because we took the plane together ! But anyway, how has everyone else been ? I've missed you so much ! What are you all doing here ?"

Everybody sweat-dropped at Max's enthusiasm.

"How much sugar did you give him ?" Micheal asked them.

"He had maple syrup on his pancakes this morning" answered Ray. "And he ate two chocolate bars an hour ago"

"We're doomed" Tala stated.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Then Ray turned to his boyfriend who was practically assaulting Raul and Julia with questions. He walked to him and clapped his hand over the blond's mouth.

"Max, for Heaven's sake, let them place a word !" he ordered.

"Fowy..." mumbled Max behind Ray's hand.

Everybody laughed except Spencer and Bryan who were shaking their heads in despair. Kai and Tala looked at each other and smirked.

"So, how's it going today ?" the red-head asked Kai with a serious tone.

"Fine" Kai answered truthfully with a tiny but sincere smile.

Tala seemed satisfied by his answer and turned his attention back to the others who were now chatting happily...

"So, why have you all come in town today ?" Kenny was asking.

"We wanted to see the amusement park" answered Mystel.

"Yeah, from what we've heard it looks pretty cool" added Garland. "Wanna come with us ?"

"Oh yes yes, let's go Ray !" immediately exclamed Max.

"Fine, let's go" said Ray, ignoring Max's squeal of delight. "If we're lucky you'll burn down all that sugar you ate"

Max didn't even acknowledge him and scrambled ahead. Ray chuckled and followed him, the others on his heels.

o0o

_Later, 2h52 p.m. _

After four hours at the amusement park (Max had already gotten into 36 attractions and tried almost every games, and thankfully he was back to his more calm self since Ray had made sure not to let him eat any more sugar), everybody decided to go back in town and search for a restaurant to have a late dinner together. They finally found one where you could eat outside on a large terrace. They reserved the largest table and settled down. After everyone had ordered, they started conversing on different topics and eventually one of them came to be Kai's brief disappearance...

"Where were you anyway ?" asked Rick a bit rudely. "Were you sick or something ?"

"No I wasn't" Kai answered coldly.

He really didn't like where the conversation was going. Every gazes were locked on him and he was starting to feel very uncomfortable. Tala, who was seated on his left two seats from him, glared at Rick and said :

"Would you leave it alone Rick ? It's not of your business where he was or what he did"

"Why ?" the other insisted. "Was it something bad ? Have you done something illegal Kai ?"

Max answered for him :

"Of course not, Rick !"

"Then what's the problem ?"

"The problem is that he doesn't want to tell you" answered Mariah.

"I still don't see the reason. I just wanna know why he didn't contact anyone during all that time" retorted Rick more calmly.

"I must admit that I am kind of curious too" said Brooklyn with his usual soft tone. "I wonder, what could've happened to make you want to hide from the world ?"

"Like you didn't know..." Kai started icily, but suddenly something caught his sight on the other side of the road.

The glass of water Kai was holding dropped to the ground and shattered with a crystal breaking noise. An unreadable expression appeared on his face while his eyes stayed fixed on some point before him.

"Kai...?" Max asked worriedly.

But Kai didn't answer and just continued to stare. Confused, everyone turned around to follow his gaze... before freezing on the spot too.

How could they have missed it, it was a wonder. It was hovering over them like a ghost from the past, pouring some icy substance in their veins as their eyes slowly took it in sight.

On the other side of the road was standing a tall building that seemed to be a store of some sort. On the wall that was facing them was stuck a very large and colourful poster. It was a promotional poster for the BBA, the Logo was clearly visible at the base, imprinted on the left corner and just before the picture. A picture of none other than Tyson in all of his Beyblade World Champion's glory, smiling like he hadn't a care in the world.

Without a word or an explanation, Kai stood up and left. Nobody tried to stop him.

After a couple of minutes, when they were finally able to tear their gazes away from the poster, Tala shot his best glare at Rick and Brooklyn before saying :

"I hope you're happy. You got your answer now"

No need to mention the rest of the meal wasn't very cheerful.

o0o

_Later on, 5h21 p.m._

After separating from the others and wishing good night just in case, Max, Ray and Kenny decided to go search for Kai. They knew him well and they were sure he hadn't gone back to the hotel. More probably he was wandering the city streets with no destination in particular. He couldn't have gone that far...

Finally, they found him just before a small baker shop, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Hesitantly they approached him, not uttering a word. He didn't seem to notice them. They glanced at each other, and then Max decided to try his luck :

"You know Kai, we understand how you feel... We miss him too, and we know it's hard...Of course it must be different for you, since you two were... Well, since he was your..."

Max stopped, unable to finish his sentence, unable to find the right words. Kai just stayed still, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"If you want to talk, maybe..." Ray started.

"No thanks" Kai said, his eyes still closed.

They looked at each other helplessly, not knowing what to add. At the end, Kenny just said with a sigh :

"Well, we should go back at the hotel now. Supper will be served soon"

"Yeah OK" agreed Max. "You commin', Kai ?"

This one just opened his eyes and nodded before walking pass them. They sighed dejectedly and followed him.

Suddenly, coming out of nowhere, a little boy bumped into Kai and then took off running without so much as an apology. But he wasn't even two meters away when Kai exclamed :

"Oh shit ! My beyblade !"

Then he whirled around and raced after the kid. With bewildered looks, the other three turned around too and quickly followed Kai.

They ran like that for a good ten minutes, then the kid took a sudden turn and entered the darker lanes of Kyoto, in what seemed to be the low-districts. That didn't stop Kai who simply followed, Ray, Max and Kenny still behind him. After a moment Kai stopped abruptly and Max almost bumped into him, but luckily he was able to stop in time. Ray and Kenny came to stand beside him, panting like crazy. Max was just as out of breath as them, but not Kai apparently. Still panting, Max asked him :

"Kai...? hah... Why... hah... why have you stopped...?"

"I've lost him" Kai simply answered emotionlessly.

"What...?" Ray exclamed.

"I've lost him" Kai repeated.

Then suddenly he punched the wall beside him and said louder :

"I've lost him ! That runt took Dranzer and I've lost him ! Damn it all to hell !"

"Calm down Kai" Kenny said.

But Kai didn't seem to hear. Meanwhile, Max was observing their surroundings, which weren't very welcoming : they were in a dark alley between two huge buildings. They were so tall it was even blocking the sunlight, making the alley even more frightening than it already was. Here and there you could see some dustbins and some old abandoned boxes.

Max shivered. He really didn't want to stay here longer than necessary. He was about to voice his thoughts when something else caught his eye.

"Huh guys..." he said with a trembling voice.

But the others were trying to reason with Kai and didn't hear him right away...

"Come on Kai, he couldn't have gone that far !" Ray was saying.

"Well where is he, then !" Kai ranted.

"Guys..."

"Panicking won't help anything Kai" Kenny started.

"I don't care ! And I'm not panicking !"

"Guys..."

"Yes you are. Now calm down and try to figure out what happened..."

"I know what happened ! That little pest stole my beyblade !"

"Guys !"

"You didn't let me finish. Try to figure out what happened and what we could do about it"

"If I knew that we wouldn't be here arguing !"

"Well maybe it's because we're here arguing that we can't think of any solutions !"

"GUYS !" Max finally shouted.

Startled, they turned to him with annoyed and questioning looks. Max didn't pay attention to it and just said, pointing something behind them :

"I think we have company..."

Slowly, they turned around and gasped, except Kai who just stared in surprise ; there, partially hidden in the shadows, was standing the hooded figure Kai was seeing everywhere lately. He started to wonder if it was stalking him or something...

His stolen beyblade forgotten for a moment, Kai observed their new visitor. The stranger was still wearing the black cape and hood, like every other times, and there wasn't much you could see. However, now that he could look closer, Kai could say that the person was definitely male. Not that it helped that much.

Glancing at his friends, Kai noticed that they looked quite terrified. He started to wonder why but then he remembered that unlike him, it was the first time they were seeing this personage. And he had to admit, meeting a black caped stranger in a dark alley wasn't what you could call reassuring. Calmly he told them :

"Don't worry, this person doesn't mean any harm"

They threw him surprised looks.

"How do you know ?" Ray asked, visibly sceptical.

"I just do"

In fact, Kai himself wasn't sure how he knew it. He just had this strong intuition that whoever that guy was, he woudn't hurt him _or_ his friends. And Kai had learned to trust his intuitions.

The others didn't seem that convinced, but they trusted his word and they relaxed a bit. But when the stranger took a couple of steps toward them, they tensed again. Seeing that, the figure stopped immediately. Whatever passed through its head at that moment, it seemed to come to the conclusion that it had to _prove_ itself trustworthy before it could do anything else. A side of the cape was pushed aside and a hand appeared, holding something securely in its palm. Kai and the others eyed it curiously. The hand opened and a beyblade was revealed.

"Dranzer !" Kai exclamed, recognizing it immediately.

"You think the kid brought it to him ?" asked Max suspiciously.

The hand closed on the beyblade and the figure shook its head negatively. And Kai understood.

"No" he said aloud. "He took it back for me..."

Stunned, the others turned to the stranger to see his reaction. And to their surprise, the person nodded.

"But why ?" asked Kenny.

The figure just turned to Kai and brought Dranzer close to its heart, placing its other hand over it protectively. Then it just handed the beyblade back to the duel-haired boy. Ray and the other two were very confused but Kai, once again, understood...

"Yes" he said while taking his beyblade from the other's hand. "I'll take great care of it. Thank you"

The figure just bowed its head and turned to leave.

"Wait !" Max said. "Who are you ?"

"And why don't you talk to us ?" Kenny asked.

The stranger hesitated. For a moment, it looked like he was about to speak. But finally, he just waved them goodbye and whirled around before dashing off so fast that all they caught was a glimpse of dark cape. Then they were alone in the alley.

They stood frozen for a moment before Ray suddenly exclamed :

"Who the hell was that !"

And inwardly, Kai was torturing himself with the same question.

* * *

**A/N : So ? Good, bad, stop writing or I'll rip your head off ? Please review !**

**Ok, now for those who just can't wait anymore, know that Tyson will make his grand appearance in the next chapter ! I know, I know, I took so long to make him reappear... Sorry ! I wanted to make him come in this chapter but I realized that maybe it was better to show some of the other characters before. I kinda neglected them... Oh well, now it's done. Please Ty/Ka lovers don't kill me yet ! It's coming, it's coming...**

**See you in the next chappie !**


	7. And the impossible happens

**A/N : Oh joice, a new chapter ! Tyson comes back, YAY !**

**Sorry for leaving you hanging like that, I wanted to update sooner but you see, recently one of my one-shots has been deleted because it supposedly wasn't following the Guidelines (I was sure it did, though... oh well...) and as a result my Account stayed frozen for a time. Did that ever happen to you ? Anyway that's why it took me some time to update. I hope you forgive me !**

**So yes, in this chapter Tyson comes back. Some fluff ahead ! Oh and so sorry if there's OOCness, I did my best but really I couldn't write it any other way. Well, just look and see for yourselves !**

**Thanks to all my reviewers, I love you guys so much ! **

**OK now, on with the fic !

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**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

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Chapter seven : And the impossible happens...

_At the hotel, 11h25 a.m. _

They woke up the third day only to see that it was grey and rainy outside. The atmosphere in the hotel was dulled and everyone slept in late, the temperature making them more lazy than usual. Even Kai didn't get out of his room before 10 o'clock, although nobody knew if it was because he'd actually been sleeping or because he'd just decided he wanted some time alone before getting out. It was more likely the latter.

Since it was raining, very few ventured outside, except Mariah and Julia who took a cab to go on a shopping spree and Emily, Mystel and Brooklyn who decided to go see the aquarium. Aside to them, everybody prefered to stay at the hotel where it was warm ad most of all, dry. They mostly gathered in the "Beyblade room" to play some matches, but some others just met in their rooms to talk or even watch some movies...

"OK, so which one are we watching ?" asked Max while standing in the center of Kai's room with three DVDs in his hands.

Kai, Ray, Hilary and Kenny turned to him. Max handed out the DVDs one by one and recited :

"I have _The Lord of the Rings_ 3, _Cheaper by the Dozen _or _The Amytiville Horror_. So, which one ?"

"Not _The Lord of the Rings_, we've seen that a million times already" said Ray.

"And I don't even wanna hear about _The Amytiville Horror_, the last time I watched that thing I couldn't sleep for a whole night !" exclaimed Hilary.

"Fine, we'll watch the other one then" Max said happily. "Is it OK with you Kai ? We're in your room after all !"

"I don't mind, put whatever you want" Kai answered.

Max smiled and walked toward the TV.

They had decided during breakfast to meet in one of their rooms and watch a movie. It had ended up being Kai's room because Hilary didn't want boys in hers, Max's and Ray's room was a mess (mostly because of Max's clothes and candy papers) and Kenny's was just beside Rick's room, which meant you could hear his music like if your ear was stuck to the speakers of his radio. Kai didn't really mind the invasion though, they weren't bothering him and it wasn't as if he had anything else to do. Also, he had to admit that he rather... enjoyed their company.

They hadn't spoken again about the odd encounter they'd made the day before, except when Kai had told them on their way back to the hotel that he had met the black caped stranger two other times already, in the main hall and in the hallway to his room. Kenny had asked him if he had any idea on who that guy could be and Kai had admitted he had not a clue. They had also told Hilary about what had happened. Since then, they hadn't talked about it.

They were halfway through the movie when Kenny suddenly asked :

"Hey, have you seen that woman in the dinner room this morning, the one who was talking with Mr. Dickinson ? I thought I knew every personnalities of the Beyblade world but I've never seen her before"

"You mean the one with long black hair and wearing a beige suit ?" asked Max.

"Yes, that one" confirmed Kenny.

"Yeah I saw her too" pursued Max. "She was kind of pretty, don't you think ?"

Ray frowned unhappily, but then Max leaned closer to him and whispered something in his ear. The neko-jin blushed deeply but his frown mysteriously disappeared... Then Hilary asked :

"You don't think she could be Mr. Dickinson's girlfriend ?"

Kai snorted and Max bursted out laughing.

"What ?" Hilary continued. "It's not impossible. A lot of men like to go out with women that are much younger then them. And Mr. Dickinson is the head of the BBA, surely that must attract some female fans"

"Maybe Hilary, but anyhow I _really _doubt that's what that woman is !" retorted Max who was still sniggering.

"Well, who is she then ?"

"I don't know" answered Ray. "Maybe she has something to do with the surprise we're getting tonight ?"

"Oh yes, I had almost forgotten about that !" Kenny said. "But you're right Ray, that's probably why she's here. I wonder what they're preparing us"

"Yeah me too !" exclaimed Max excitedly.

Kai stayed silent. He had seen the woman too but hadn't really given it any thoughts. As for this famous 'surprise', well to be honest he was a bit curious to finally discover what it was. And another thing was bothering him : had the black caped stranger anything to do with it...?

o0o

_Later, 1h04 p.m. _

"Ah ! Checkmate, I win !" said Ray with a smug smile.

"No fair ! You cheated !" Max retorted with a cute pout.

"No I didn't, you're just a sore loser"

"That would be Kai for you" Max answered with a playful grin, since he was never really angry to begin with.

Kai's left eyebrow twitched. He shot a glare at Max from his position on the bed, where he'd been lying comfortably and undisturbed, that is until _someone_ decided to make some snide remark about him. But Max just ignored his glare and stuck his tongue out at him. Kai rolled his eyes and grinned slightly ; he wasn't really mad at Max, he knew it was just a joke. But he'd had to glare for good measure.

After their film had been over, the five friends had went down to have dinner, and afterwards they'd decided to just return in Kai's room and relax for the day, since the rain seemed nowhere near to stop. Right now, Max and Ray were playing chess on the table (they'd grown very fond of that game recently and were playing often, although Ray won almost every time), Hilary was sitting in a chair writing some ideas for her magazine, Kenny was installed on the carpeted floor and working on his ever-present laptop, and Kai was just lying on his bed resting.

"Well koi, I demand a rematch !" Max practically ordered Ray.

"Fine, but don't complain when you lose again, love" this one answered with an evil smile.

Max was about to retort when a knock was heard at the room's door. Kai rose and went to open it, and he was a bit surprised to come face to face with Mr.Dickinson himself.

"Mr.Dickinson ? What is it ?"

"May I come in first Kai ?" the man asked.

"Of course" Kai answered while moving aside to let him pass.

By now each occupant of the room was looking at them curiously, wondering what was going on. Mr. Dickinson looked back at them and said :

"Ah, you're all here, that's perfect. Well, where to begin... I assume you all know about the surprise planned for tonight ?"

They nodded and Mr. Dickinson continued :

"Good. Well, the reason I'm here is because I am going to show it to you, right now"

"What !" Max exclaimed, voicing the others' shock. "Why ?"

"Because..." Mr.Dickinson started, suddenly sounding a bit less sure of himself. Clearing his throat, he pursued : "Because this surprise is more related to you than to the others, that's why. Originally I wanted to let you see it at the same time as everyone else, but after thinking about it I realized that it would probably be too much of a shock for the five of you. Thus, I will show it to you first in private, that way it'll be less harsh"

They stared at him quizzically, then at each other. This whole thing was starting to get confusing. Frowning lightly, Ray said :

"I'm sorry Mr.Dickinson, but I don't think we're following you here..."

The old man just sighed and answered :

"It's OK, you'll understand when you see it. Now if you would come with me to my office" he said while opening the door and stepping in the hallway.

They just nodded and went after him, curiosity slowly increasing. They weren't sure why they were given the right to see the surprise before everyone else, but it sure was exciting. Although, they did have a strange feeling about it...

Mr. Dickinson's office was on the first floor, so they had to go down again. They didn't see any other bladers on the way, except Spencer and Bryan who were french kissing in the main hall. Who would've guessed those two were together...?

Finally they reached their destination and stopped before the double doors at the end of the hallway. Mr. Dickinson opened one of them and stepped inside, closely followed by Kai and the others. The office was very spacious and two of the walls were covered with very large windows, although at the moment light blue curtains were closed on them. Paintings and pictures orned the two other walls, and there was an impressively big desk standing in the center of the room. A leather couch was leaning against the wall that was left to the door (the one with no windows) and a low table was set before it. Presently, seven chairs were placed before the desk. Everything was in shades of white and pale blue, and the effect was rather relaxing. Add to that some plants to decorate and you had Mr. Dickinson's office.

Walking in, they immediately noticed the other person that was already in the room beside them and Mr. D...

"It's you !" Kenny exclaimed. "You're the strange woman from this morning !"

The said woman chuckled and rose from one of the seven chairs where she had been sitting. She was thin, apparently in her mid-thirties, with long black hair raised in a high ponytail and a pale skin. She walked to them and said with a respectful bow and a gentle smile :

"Please to meet you too. My name is June-Ki Yuan, and I must say that it's the first time someone refers to me as a 'strange woman' !"

Her violet eyes were sparkling and it was obvious that she wasn't mad at them. In fact she looked rather amused by the situation, but it didn't stop Kenny from blushing at least ten shades of red... The first to remember his manners was Ray. He bowed too and said :

"It's a pleasure, Yuan-sama"

"Oh please, just call me June !" she exclaimed with a crystalline laugh. "I'm barely 32, you'll make me feel old !" she added with a wink.

"Alright, June" Ray agreed with a friendly smile.

"Please everyone, take a seat" Mr. Dickinson suddenly said while walking to his own chair behind the desk.

They quickly complied, and once all of them were seated, Mr. Dickinson pursued :

"First, let me tell you about June here. She comes from North Korea and me and her have been corresponding since one year now. She's a very skilled psychologist, but she has other specializations... She's been mainly assigned to a friend of mine since a couple of years now"

Max smiled to June and said :

"Well that's all very nice, but..." (he turned to Mr. Dickinson) "...what does all this has to do with tonight's surprise ?"

June turned to them and answered with a soft voice :

"You see, the person I'm helping happens to be someone you all know"

The five friends were taken aback and looked at her confusedly. Frowning slightly, Kai asked :

"Someone we know ?"

"Yes" answered June. "And that someone... is tonight's surprise"

They stared at her incredulously, eyes wide. Hilary managed to find her voice and exclaimed :

"What ! But how can a person be a surprise ? This makes no sense !"

"Don't worry" Mr. Dickinson said calmly, and they turned their gazes to him. "You'll understand when you see them. June ?" (he shifted his eyes on her) "Would you please let them in ?"

"Of course" she answered with a smile.

Kai and the others watched her as she rose and walked to the door. They were distracted however by Mr. Dickinson's voice addressing them once again, and they turned around to look at him as he said :

"Now, let me warn you that this will be a shock. It was one for me when I first found out. But please, try to stay calm and whatever you do, don't exit this room before I tell you to. I have reasons for asking you that and I hope you will obey"

Confusion was an understatement at this point, but they gave an hesitant nod nonetheless. They heard the door open and they looked back once again. June, her hand still on the door's handle, moved aside while a eighth person entered the office...

Max gasped and Ray let out a low : _"What the...?"_. The others did nothing but stare. Before them was standing the black caped stranger, the large hood still on his head and hiding his face, although he looked much less scary now that he was in a full lightened place with other people around. But more then that, it was the fact that he somehow looked nervous and uncertain, stopping at some distance of them and just standing there as if afraid to go any farther. He turned his head toward Mr. Dickinson and then toward June, seeming to ask for some kind of permission. June just smiled reassuringly and Mr. D said :

"It's OK. You may remove it"

The figure seemed to hesitate for a moment, then the sides of its cape were pushed aside and two hands raised toward the black velvet hood...

For Kai and his friends, it was like everything had suddenly been set in slow motion... The hands grabbed the hood... (They held their breath...) slowly, the cloth was removed... (A feeling of dread settled in their stomachs...) midnight blue hair was revealed... (Their eyes grew wide and their heartbeats went crazy...) the two hands fell back along the person's sides... (All color drained from their faces...) and two rich chocolate brown orbs they thought they would never see again stared back at them.

o0o0o

**Max's POV **(A/N : Yay ! I'll do some characters' POVs for this part OK ?)

Oh my God... It can't be... I... I must be seeing things... There's no way this can be possible... I must be dreaming, or... my eyes are playing tricks on me, yeah that must be it...

But then, why are the others looking just as shocked as I am ? Could it be that what I'm seeing is real ? But how...? How could it be possible ! It's... it's... too good to be true... Oh but how I want it to be ! Please let it be true...! The opposite would be too cruel... it would hurt too much...

I'm feeling weak and I'm pretty sure I couldn't stand up even if I wanted too... My heart has gone totally berserk and is pounding hard in my chest... I'm almost afraid it will come out... But the vision before me... I hope... I hope...

Oh please just let it be true...!

o0o0o

**Ray's POV**

This is crazy... No wait, more like insane... I... I just can't believe it... Although I want to... Oh God, I want to believe it so much...! But it just can't be ! Things like that only happen in movies and in our dreams... So there must be some kind of mistake... Surely I'm hallucinating...

I take a quick glance at the others and notice how pale they are... Even Kai is... In fact, he's the worst : he's as white as a sheet. Hilary seems just about to pass out... Max is totally frozen in place... And Kenny is shaking all over... Could it be that they see it too ? That it's... that **he**'s real ?

I shift my gaze back to him... Oh for Heaven's sake... He looks so real that it's painful... I could almost touch him... I'd never realized how much I'd missed him... Could it be that he's back...? But how could he ? It's impossible !

Or is it...?

o0o0o

**Hilary's POV**

I think I'm gonna pass out... I don't remember how to breathe... I can't... I can't do anything but stare... Stare at this... this illusion before me... But can an illusion look so real ? So solid ? So... alive ?

No no, it's not possible ! I mustn't think that way ! He's a fake ! An impostor ! He's... he's... he's looking at me.

God his eyes...! They're exactly the same... just like I remember them... gentle, warm... but I think I see a hint of... what is it, sadness ? Hope ? Fear maybe ? They are so deep... Eyes like that can't be faked... Nobody but him could have eyes like these ones...

Oh my God, am I crying ? Yes... yes I am. I can't help it... Lord, I think it's really him...! I don't know how, but it's him !

I don't think I'll stop crying anytime soon... And I don't think I'm gonna be the only one...

o0o0o

**Kenny's POV**

Holy Lord of Heaven, I think I'm turning crazy... This isn't remotely possible... I must be hallucinating... Yes, this is the only logical explanation. There is no way that... Oh my God he's walking toward us !

The closer he gets, the harder I shake... I hear a sob beside me, that must be Hilary... And a small whimper, somehow I think that's Max... I'm only assuming, because I can't turn to look at them... My gaze is glued to his approaching form...

Why does he have to look so real...? It's so painful... Why in all Creation am I allowing myself to hope ? I know it can't be true ! But... what if it is...? What if it's actually... him ? Why would we be given such a miracle ? Lord forgive me, I can't help it... Against all that is logically possible, I want to believe it's true... I want him to be back... I want him to be real...

Please someone, just tell me that I'm right !

o0o0o

**Kai's POV **(A/N : Oh weren't you just waiting for that one !)

He's... there. Just some steps away from me. Standing there, like if it was perfectly normal. Just as beautiful as before... no, even more than that. His soft, long midnight hair, his eyes, warm and bright... I could touch him... Hold him... Say how much I missed him... how I longed for him... how I wished every night that he would come back to me... He's so close now... I just want to take him in my arms and never let go... I want to hold him close to my heart and say I love him... more than everything on Earth... more than my own life...

What is this ? Some kind of sick joke ? Whoever is behind it ? Did they think it would be funny to play with my feelings like that ? To tear my heart out and rip what's left of it to pieces ? Well I don't feel like laughing. I'm dying inside. I've never hurt so much in my whole life...

I want to get up, but my body won't move. I'm paralyzed... I want to get out of here and get away from that... that _thing_ in front of me. That thing that looks so much like him... It's killing me inside, but I can't move my eyes away from his face...

It can't be real. There's no way. There is no . possible . way ! It must be a dream... no, scratch that, this is a nightmare ! A twisted, sadistic nightmare ! I thought I'd gotten rid of those ! It's making me hope again... hope that it could be true…

I hear a sob beside me. I turn my head slightly... It's Hilary, she's crying. I'd completely forgotten my friends were there too... Kenny looks like he's gonna be sick and Max and Ray are just staring incredulously, not uttering a word. And just then it hits me : they're seeing him too. That's why they're so upset. That's why they're as pale as ghosts... Because this is real... Not a dream... I'm not dreaming... I'm awake, and he's there...

My eyes dart back toward him. He hasn't moved... He hasn't changed... Could it be him ? No ! No it can't ! It just can't ! He's... he's... But... but he seems so real... His smile is the same... His eyes are the same... So gentle...

He's looking at me. Not at the others, at ME. I'm losing myself in those chocolate brown pools... And suddenly, I realize... I can read them, just like before... They were always so expressive... Like if his very soul was in his eyes... _' It's really me ' _they claim... _' I'm sorry ' _they add... _' I missed you ' _they tell... And just like that, I know. I know that it's really him.

When did I get up ? I'm not sure... All I know is that I'm now in front of him, not even one feet away... And that my hand is cupping his cheek, making sure he doesn't turn away... I search his expression, his eyes, his soul... He lets me. I search for a lie, for a fake, for a false hope... just in case... and I find nothing. Just him. Only him. So beautiful...

When did my arms get around him ? I don't know. All I know is that I'm holding him, and... that he's holding me too, his own arms around my waist. But I hold him tighter... Even his scent is the same... He smells like the earth after it rains... So sweet and fresh... So much like him...

I think I'm crying. Not sobbing like Hilary, just... there's tears rolling down my cheeks, making my vision blurry... I can't stop them. I don't want to stop them. That must be a first. Quick, take a picture someone, the grand Kai Hiwatari is crying. You may not see that happen before another couple of millennia... And the most surprising thing is, I don't give a damn. I'm crying and I couldn't care less what people think about it. The only thing that matters right now is that he's back... The only thing that matters is that, by some kind of miracle, my love is back and safe in my arms, and that I'm never, ever letting go again...

I tighten my hold on him even more, cradling his form in my arms, almost afraid that he might disappear. He doesn't stop me. Then, finally, I find my voice, and I whisper his name for the first time in five years, saying it like if it was the most beautiful word on Earth... which I think it is :

"Tyson..."

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**A/N : So ? What do you think ? Sorry if there's too much OOCness... I tried to consider the fact that they're all older and that Kai has changed quite a lot since BEGA (in my fic anyway... I'm sure you'd noticed it before...) and that he's missed Tyson very much.Well I just hope you liked it ! Next chapter coming soon ! Review & review !**


	8. Silent words

**A/N : Hi it's me again ! And here's another chapter for you my dear reviewers ! **

**But before we start, let me introduce my two new muses ! There's Akari-chan...**

**Akari :** (waves) Hi everyone !

**...and Raiu.**

**Raiu :** Yeah yeah, just get on with your stupid fic.

**Hmph... (turns away from Raiu) Don't pay attention to her, she's a pest.**

**Raiu :** At least I'm not insane.

**What was that ? (glares)**

**Akari :** Cherry-chan, the fic...

**Oh, hum, yes. Thanks Akari. Ok then, on with the fic !**

**

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**

**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

**

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**

**Chapter eight : Silent words**

_Mr. Dickinson's office, 1h28 p.m. _

A good ten minutes passed without anyone talking. Everything seemed too much like a dream, and talking might cause it to disappear... To fade away like it had never existed... Which was something Ray, Max, Kenny, Hilary and most of all Kai certainly didn't want to happen. As for June and Mr. Dickinson, they respected the others' need for silence. And so, no one spoke...

Kai was still holding Tyson, very unwilling to let go. His mind was less foggy now and he was aware to be acting very out of character, but he just couldn't bring himself to detach his arms from around Tyson's waist. For some reason, just the thought of doing it was making him tremble, as if the mere action of moving away would cause Tyson to vanish before his eyes... Kai knew it was ridiculous, but he really couldn't help it. Maybe it was just an after effect of the shock, but right now he had a visceral fear of letting Tyson out of his sight. Luckily, the midnight blue-haired youth didn't try to push him away ; he stayed calmly in Kai's embrace, not uttering a word.

From the corner of his eye, Kai cast a glance at the others ; they were still frozen on their chairs and seemed very shaken, staring at them with an unbelieving expression... Well not really at _them _; they were staring at Tyson, and Kai just happened to be in the same range of vision. And if they took note of the fact that Kai was presently _hugging_ Tyson, it didn't show... Of course, right now they did have more pressing matters to think about... Like trying to understand **how **it was possible for their dead friend to be standing right before them, healthy-looking and very much **alive**...

Finally, Kenny asked with a shaking voice, as if afraid of the answer :

"Mr. Dickinson, is it... i-is it r-really... who I t-think it is...?"

The others held their breath as Mr. Dickinson rose and walked around his desk, coming to stand just beside Tyson and Kai. He then turned to Kenny and answered :

"Yes, it is"

Their breath hitched audibly. Mr. Dickinson put a hand on Tyson's shoulder and gently pulled him away from Kai ; the duel-haired blader visibly shuddered at the loss of contact and it took everything out of him not to reach out to grab Tyson and bring him back against his chest. But his legendary self-control decided to take that time to come back and help him restrain himself, and so he stayed rooted to his spot, unmoving. He took a quick glance at June who had walked back to them and who was now standing a few feet away from him, a comforting smile on her lips.

Soon though Kai turned his attention back to Tyson ; just tearing his gaze away from him more than one second was almost physically painful. Kai was vaguely aware to be acting down right pathetic at the moment, but he couldn't help it. The sight of his secret love suddenly standing before him when he had thought to have lost him forever was just so overwhelming...

Kai looked as Mr. Dickinson went to stand behind Tyson, making the youth face his bewildered friends. With one hand still on Tyson's shoulder, Mr. D declared with a serious tone :

"I know this may be hard to believe, but trust me, it is no joke : the young man standing before you really is Tyson Kinomiya"

Now, it was one thing to see it, but it was something else entirely to actually _"hear"_ it being said out loud.

Silence fell over the room once more, as what Mr. Dickinson had just said slowly started to sink in... Kai, who had already accepted the fact that the Tyson he was seeing was real... _his_ Tyson... took the opportunity to observe the midnight-haired blader more attentively ; the surprise and shock of seeing him had distracted Kai at first and he hadn't really paid attention to the details.

He skipped the long black velvet cape covering Tyson's shoulders and reaching down all the way to his ankles, having seen the dark cloth more than once already. Instead, he concentrated on what the youth was wearing underneath : now that the cape was mostly opened, Kai could see that Tyson had on black baggy pants quite similar to his own, the only difference being the silver chain hanging from the left side of Tyson's waist. In fact, beside that chain, Tyson seemed to wear nothing but black : black boots, black pants and black long-sleeved shirt with a V collar. Gone were his colorful clothes and his blue fingerless gloves. Tyson didn't even have his famous cap anymore ; his hair was simply tied back in his usual low ponytail, although it was longer than before.

But then something else caught Kai's gaze : a scar. A long dark pink scar, in no way ugly but awfully visible over the paler shade of Tyson's skin.

It started right under his right ear, running down Tyson's neck all the way to his Adam's apple and even going a bit farther. Kai swallowed with difficulty ; the scar was thin and neat, showing that it had healed pretty well, but it was obvious that the wound had been dangerously deep. Kai's chest constricted painfully... He didn't even want to think about how that wound must've hurt... Blinking, he collected himself and fixed the scar once more. Then, just as he was looking at it, something clicked in his mind... And suddenly, Kai started to have a very, _very_ bad feeling...

Meanwhile, Ray, Max, Kenny and Hilary were finally realizing the reality of what was happening. They rose on shaky legs, their eyes never leaving Tyson's face for a single second. Then, Max asked hesitantly, his voice trembling :

"T-Tyson...?"

This one just gave them a sad smile and nodded, his unforgettable chocolate brown eyes staring back at them with a calm happiness.

The effect was almost instantaneous ; the four were still for a moment, then suddenly they were running toward their friend, their eyes filling with tears, or re-filling in Hilary's case. Soon Tyson was caught in a clumsy group hug, a soft smile playing on his lips. Ray was by far the calmer one ; with bright watery eyes, he was clinging to Tyson's arm as if it was his lifeline. There was a question in his golden gaze : _"How ?"_. But he didn't voice it. The other three though weren't as reserved...

"Tyson! Oh my God Tyson, it's really you ! We... we thought you were dead !" Max cried out, his face soaked with tears. "Everybody told us so ! All... all these years we believed you'd died in the plane crash !"

"What happened to you ? Where were you ? Why did you let us believe you were dead !" Hilary asked, sobbing and nearly in hysterics.

"How did you survive ? How is it even possible !" said Kenny, trembling from head to toe.

"Answer us Tyson !" Max pleaded almost desperately.

Tyson just gave them a sad look then turned his head toward June, a silent request in his eyes. June let out a soft sigh before saying calmly :

"He can't answer you, Max. Or at least, not in a way you would understand"

Kai felt a cold sweat running down his back... The others loosened their grip on Tyson, looking at June confusedly and with a little bit of dread. Max gulped and asked weakly :

"What...? But... why couldn't he ?"

Kai madly resisted the urge to cover his ears... He knew almost for sure what was coming, and he didn't want to hear it... He **did not want **to hear it ! ...but he did anyway :

"Because he can't speak anymore, Max" June said softly. "Tyson is mute"

o0o

"Hey, anyone seen Kai and the others ?" asked Tala.

He was sitting on a couch in one of the hotel's resting rooms, situated on the first floor. There was a bunch of other beybladers in the room, some he knew and some he didn't. They'd gotten tired of beyblading after a while and had come in here to chat. Suddenly Tala had realized he hadn't seen Kai or the rest of his gang since dinner, making him a bit curious about the group's whereabouts. He'd went to knock at Kai's door ten minutes ago, remembering that they'd been there earlier watching movies. But nobody had answered, so apparently they weren't there anymore.

"Maybe they went in town ?" suggested Kevin.

"In this weather ?" said Lee with a snort. "It's pouring outside ! Only Mariah and Julia are crazy enough to go out in a day like this, when they could've stayed in a warm and comfy hotel instead ! Talk about a time for going on shopping spree !"

"Yeah, I'll never understand girls..." added Micheal.

"We wouldn't expect you to, bonehead !" Mathilda and Ming Ming said in unison while slapping Micheal behind the head.

"Oww...!" he whined as the others sniggered.

"Brooklyn, Emily and Mystel went out too, remember ?" Garland said. "They went to see the aquarium"

"I'm not saying they're any more sane" answered Lee with a grin.

"Yeah, and with a weather like this, they'll turn into fishes themselves before making it back here !" Eddy exclaimed with a laugh.

"That doesn't answer my question" Tala pursued. "Where's Kai and the others ?" he repeated.

Everybody shrugged, not having a clue. Bryan and Spencer entered the room just then, catching the end of Tala's question. Bryan answered :

"We saw them about half an hour ago. They were heading to Mr. Dickinson's office, and Mr. D himself was with them. I don't think they've come out yet"

"Strange. What could they be doing ?" wondered Garland.

"Who knows ?" said Micheal. "It could be anything. The most entertaining things always seem to happen to them !"

"Yeah, you're right..." retorted Tala with a solemn voice that silenced everyone as they listened to the rest of his sentence : "The most entertaining things... But the most tragic ones too..."

Of course, they all knew what he was talking about. Their mood dampened a little, and nobody answered. Tala glanced at them and added :

"Never forget the darker side of the medal..."

o0o

"Wha... what do you mean, mute...?" Hilary asked weakly, and it was obvious that she didn't really want to know the answer.

June smiled sadly and walked toward them. They backed away from Tyson a little to give her more space, however not going very far. June came to stand beside their friend, then she pointed his neck and said softly :

"You see that scar ? His vocal chords have been severely damaged. He can't speak anymore"

Hilary covered her mouth with her hand as new tears rolled down her cheeks... Max, Kenny and Ray just stared at Tyson, unable to find their words, their eyes glittering... Kai clenched his fists until his knuckles were white, nearly digging his nails into his palms. In all their minds, what they had just learned was just so unfair...

Just then, they saw Tyson tap on June's shoulder to get her attention. June turned to him, and they watched in strange fascination as he started making different movements with his hands. When he was done June nodded and turned back to them with a smile.

"You see, Tyson just spoke to me right now" she told them. "He used sign language. That's how he communicates in direct interactions"

They swallowed back the lump in their throats and Kenny asked :

"What... what did he say ?"

"He said he was happy to see you all again and that he had missed you very much"

They gave a trembling smile, their eyes watering again, and June pursued :

"He also said he was sorry for making you sad"

Their eyes widened and they turned to Tyson, who just smiled to them apologetically. Considering the situation, that was as far as Kai's self-control could hold. He walked toward the blue-haired youth and took his hand shamelessly, not really caring about what the others would think. Right now, all he cared about was Tyson... He locked gazes with him and said in a whisper, although his voice was firm :

"There's nothing to apologize for"

Tyson looked back at him and smiled, then he freed his hand in order to sign something...

"He said thank you" translated June with a smile of her own.

Kai stayed silent, merely taking back Tyson's hand and entwining their fingers. Then, a soft voice resonated in the room :

"How...?"

They turned to Ray, who was the one speaking. He looked back at them and pursued shakily :

"How is this possible ? For so long, we thought... I thought..." he made a painful pause, then finished : "What happened ?"

June sighed and said calmly :

"A fair enough question. And of course we expected you to ask"

She glanced at each of them, then she looked at Tyson who simply nodded. She turned back to them and said :

"Tyson insisted we tell you everything. Of course he can't exactly tell you himself... But since I was with him since the start..." (she paused a moment under their questioning looks, then continued) "...I will tell you his story. He already agreed to let me do it"

They glanced at Tyson, who just nodded and smiled encouragingly.

"Well..." Mr. Dickinson said while walking back behind his desk, "I think it would be better if we'd sit down"

He was trying to sound casual, but they easily caught the slight strain in his voice. They glanced at each other nervously, even Kai ; they suddenly had this disturbing feeling that what they were about to hear would be far from a fairy tale. Of course they wished to know what had happened, and where Tyson had been during those five years when they had thought him dead ! They wanted to know... but suddenly, it occured to them that whatever it was, they probably wouldn't like it. They'd thought that Tyson losing his voice was bad and unfair... but looking at Mr. Dickinson's tense form and at June's solemn expression, it dawned upon them that... Chances were, they hadn't heard the worse part yet.

But they needed to know. Even if knowing would be painful.

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**A/N : So yeah, short chapter... and evil cliffhanger, mwahahahah !**

**Raiu : **See, I told you she was insane.

**Oh shut it ! Anyway, sorry the chapter was a bit short. I'll make the next one longer. Oh and once again forgive me if there was too much OOCness. **

**Akari : **I thought it was good anyway ! (smiles)

**Thank you Akari-chan !**

**Raiu : **Well I thought it was horrible.

**(sighs) Why am I not surprised...? Well, please review everyone ! See you next chapter !**


	9. Miracle explained part 1

**A/N : (takes a peek from behind a large boulder) Hum... hi ? (dodges rotten fruits and flying daggers) Okay okay, I know I'm unforgivably late for the update ! Sorry ! (dodges more rotten fruits) Really, I'm sorry ! Look, I won't bore you with a long explanation, since we all agree that I made you wait long enough already, right ? (dodges a few flaming arrows) Yeah, that's what I thought... Let's just say that this story was on hold for a while... alright, a long while. The good news is, it's not anymore, so here comes a new chapter ! (cheers) I hope I haven't lost too many readers, and that I'll gain some new ones !**

**Raiu : **I don't see why anyone else would bother to read this crap.

**Just get lost Raiu ! Anyway, don't worry everyone, there will be no more wait like the one I just put you through. I'm officially back to working on this fic, so expect more updates in the future !**

**Akari : **YAY ! (cheers with pink pompoms)

**Raiu : **You two are hopeless...

**Look who's talking... Well folks, here's chapter nine ! Read and enjoy !**

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**IMPORTANT NOTE : **

**Brace yourselves everyone, cause what's coming below is June's explanation about what happened to Tyson during the five years he was thought dead. It turned out much longer than I expected, so I divided it in 2 parts, as in 2 separate chapters. Hope you don't mind !**

**'Kay, read on !**

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**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

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Chapter nine : Miracle explained (part 1)

_Mr. Dickinson's office, 2h01 p.m. _

"This will be long..." June started with a sigh, "...so I suggest we follow Mr. Dickinson's advice and take a seat"

She walked to one of the chairs disposed before Mr. Dickinson's desk ; the man was already sitting in his own chair behind the said desk, silent. Tyson went to sit beside June, thus forcing Kai, who was still holding his hand, to come and sit beside him. Max, Ray, Kenny and Hilary followed suit, settling on the four remaining chairs. Then everything went silent and all eyes fixed on June... The young woman cast a glance toward Tyson before beginning with a soft voice :

"Alright... So, as Mr. Dickinson told you earlier, I come from North Corea, more specifically from a small town named Sinp'o. My parents have a house there situated close to the beach, which is where I passed my whole childhood. But anyway, five years ago... I must've been around 27 at the time... I was visiting my parents, and one evening I decided to go take a walk along the sea shore like I used to do when I was a kid. The sun was setting and I was about to return to the house when suddenly, something caught my gaze : there was a form washed up on the sand, and it looked awfully like a human body.

I immediately ran to it and discovered that it was indeed a body ; that of a young man with long midnight blue hair. His clothes were torn and he had blood everywhere, the most I could see coming from a wound on his neck. He was breathing weakly though, and for a moment I found myself happy that he was still alive... Then the thought hit me that considering his present state, he probably wouldn't last long if I didn't do something real soon..."

June stopped for an instant to glance at Tyson's friends ; their faces were as pale as snow and they looked like the last thing they wanted was to hear the rest of her story... Nobody said anything though, so she took a deep breath and pursued :

"For a short moment, I just panicked... I was a psychologist, not a doctor, and for a second there I had no idea what to do... But luckily, I was able to calm down quick enough.

First, I knew I couldn't take the risk to move the boy, since I didn't know the nature of his injuries and that chances were I would only make things worse. Instead, I ran to my parents' house and quickly called an ambulance. After that, I ran back to the beach, with my parents following me this time. We waited barely five minutes until the medical team arrived, and in even less time than that they had the young man in the ambulance, riding toward the hospital with their sirens on. I followed them in my car after promising my mom and dad I would call them as soon as I had news.

I didn't know that the boy was Tyson Kinomiya back then. Nobody knew.

I ended up passing the whole night at the hospital. Since I wouldn't stop asking questions about Tyson, not using his name of course since I didn't know what it was, a doctor finally came to see me. He wanted to know if I was one of the boy's relatives ; I had to answer no, then I explained how I had found him on the shore before calling the ambulance. The doctor hesitated for a minute, then decided that considering the situation, he would give me the information I was asking for. He told me that the young man I was worried about had just passed several hours in surgery, and that although his life was no longer in danger, his condition was still critical..."

June stopped again, her eyes downward, as if telling this part of the tale still pained her... By now Kai was gripping Tyson's hand so tight he was probably cutting all circulation, but the blue-haired youth made no move to pull away. Max and the others just waited worriedly for June to continue, their hearts thumping in their chests... They almost jumped when June started again :

"Tyson's vocal chords had been totally slashed, which was the result of the wound I'd seen on his neck... It's then that I learned he would probably be unable to speak for the rest of his life... But that wasn't the worse ; his left arm was broken as well as a few ribs, and it seemed like his lower body had been crushed. The doctors had succeeded to repair most of the damages, but even there they weren't sure if Tyson would ever be able to use his legs correctly again. And in any case, a re-education would be necessary.

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, I received the final blow : the doctor told me that the boy had suffered from a serious head injury causing internal bleeding, and that although the wound was now under control, the results couldn't be prevented : the patient was now in a coma"

Hilary stopped fighting the new wave of tears burning behind her eyelids, letting them flow silently on her cheeks. Max leaned against Ray, his face pale and drawn... Ray held him tightly, his own eyes shimmering. Kenny kept his gaze downwards, and Kai took a deep breath, trying not to lose it right there and now. Had their friend really went through all that ? Alone, without them, or anyone else he knew, at his side ? God, this was even worse then what they had thought...

June continued her tale, and they braced themselves up for whatever else would come :

"I remember how I felt after hearing all that" June was saying. "Angry, and sad. You see, even though I didn't know Tyson back then, I still couldn't find it in me to accept what had been done to him... No one could possibly deserve to be hurt that badly, especially someone so young. It just seemed so unfair...

It's then that I decided to do everything in my power to help this boy. I don't know why, maybe because I'd been the one to find him, but somehow I felt a responsibility toward him. At the moment he had no one but me, and I couldn't bring myself to abandon him"

June stopped for an instant to regain her breath, then she raised her head and her voice became more firm as she pursued :

"First, I talked to the doctor, who told me they'd found no piece of identification on the boy. It seemed he'd had nothing with him but his torn clothes. That was a problem of course, since because of this we couldn't possibly contact any relatives, supposing the boy even had some. The hospital had no one to call and we had no way to know who the patient was. And since I wasn't related to him, they couldn't just entrust Tyson to me either. The only solution then was to call the police, and that's exactly what we did.

An inspector and two agents came in one hour later. The inspector talked to the doctor first, then he came to me and asked me to tell him how I'd found Tyson. I told him my story in details and answered all his questions. When all that was over, the inspector said he would set up an inquiry. To begin with they would try to discover if the boy was even from Sinp'o or its surroundings ; if yes, they would try to find his family or at least someone who knew him if no relatives were found. If the boy was not from Sinp'o, then they would have to extend the investigation to a larger scale. That meant it would be harder and take longer to find any decent information. Add to that, they had to discover how Tyson had ended up on the sea shore, and what had happened to him.

Of course all of that would've been a lot easier if Tyson himself had been awake and able to tell us his story, but since it wasn't the case the police had to dig up the answers by its own means.

We still had one problem on our hands though, and that was who would be responsible of Tyson until his identity could be found. They needed someone who would take care of his stay in the hospital, someone to call if there were decisions to make or in case of an emergency. I immediately volunteered. The following day Tyson was placed legally under my care, for as long as there would be no one else to take my place. By then I'd called my parents and told them everything, and they supported me in my decision.

I visited Tyson at the hospital every day, and I followed the investigation as closely as I was permitted to. As you can guess, it turned out that Tyson wasn't from Sinp'o at all, nor from any other towns or villages in the vicinity. After being sure of that, the police started looking for any incident that could've happened in the area Tyson had been found, and at a coinciding time. A boat sinking, a plane crashing, any case of disappearance that could've been reported... They looked but found nothing, except the recent crash of a plane bound for Moscow, in Russia. They quickly pushed it aside though, since it had happened many kilometers away from where Tyson had been found. It was way too far, and according to them, Tyson would've drowned or died from his injuries _way_ before reaching the sea shore of Sinp'o"

"But...!" Max interrupted at that moment, frowning in confusion.

June smiled at him and answered his unfinished question, seeing that the others were just as disturbed by her last statement :

"I know" she said. "We _all_ know that Tyson was indeed on that flight, this he can now confirm himself. And when I learned it later on, I was just as confused as you are now. But we never quite figured out how it was possible... Tyson himself doesn't have any idea how he managed to survive, nor does he know how he ended up on our beach. He told me so"

All eyes turned to the blue-haired boy at that. Tyson shrugged and nodded, giving them a resigned smile. June pursued, startling them into looking toward her once again :

"The inquiry continued for a few months, but since nothing of importance had yet to be found, it was finally put on hold. I did try to get the police to continue searching, but to be honest, it's true that they had other things to do, and couldn't place all their focus on an investigation that didn't seem to be moving quite fast anyway. They hadn't abandoned the case, they'd merely pushed it aside until something concrete was discovered.

Meanwhile, I had been visiting Tyson at the hospital every day, taking at least half an hour to go see him after my work. He was getting better, but didn't show any sign of waking up. I decided to be patient though, and so I waited... Finally, Tyson ended up passing two whole years in a coma..."

Max gasped, along with Kenny and Hilary. Ray merely gazed sorrowfully toward Tyson, and Kai... well, Kai was way passed the point of having any visible reaction. Aside the fact that his hand was still gripping Tyson's, he showed absolutely no exterior sign of having heard June. Inwardly though, a war was raging...

"Fortunately" June continued, "I can be a very patient person. I never lost hope, and so I waited. I visited Tyson daily and I kept an eye on the police's investigation for any progress. My parents supported me all the way in my self-assigned task, and by then I'd also gotten a boyfriend who helped me just as much. Len, that's his name, was living in Sinp'o himself, so I had relocated there permanently.

Strangely enough, it's Len who was present when Tyson first woke up after nearly two years of slumber. My boyfriend had been quite moved by Tyson's story when I'd first told it to him, and he had quickly become as determined as me to help the boy. He visited him almost as often as me, and so his presence when Tyson woke up wasn't that odd.

Anyhow, on that day I was supposed to be there as well, but I had a lecture to give at Sinp'o's University, and consequently I ended up late at the hospital. I arrived in a rush around nine o'clock, Len having reached me earlier on my cellphone. As soon as I was there he filled me in, telling me that yes he'd told the nurses that the boy was awake, but that as soon as the doctor had arrived the man had kicked him out of the room. No one had gotten out since then, and Len was still waiting for any news on the boy's condition. Nobody was allowed in the room until further notice.

Luckily we didn't have to wait long, and about half an hour after my arrival the doctor finally exited Tyson's room. Len and me were on him immediately of course, and he made us sit in his office before answering our questions.

The doctor told us that Tyson was awake and aware, and as healthy as possible after what he'd went through. According to him, the patient's physical condition was satisfying : although his vocal chords were now forever unusable, the initial wound had healed quite nicely. As for his legs, a re-education was definitely in order, but if it was done correctly then there was a very good chance Tyson would be able to walk normally again. All of that was a great relief to us, but sadly the doctor wasn't done..."

June paused, then breathed out :

"Apparently, the patient had woken up amnesiac"

The others' eyes widened. All they could do was stare at June, then at Tyson, then back at June when she started up again :

"It took a lot out of me not to scream in frustration when I heard the news. By luck Len was there to calm me down... The thing is, I had hoped - we'd ALL hoped - that when Tyson woke up we would finally get to know who he was and what had happened to him, but obviously we wouldn't get our wish. I remember wondering if some unknown forces were at work, intent on forcing us along the hardest path whether we liked it or not.

We were then allowed to see Tyson, and one look at him was all it took to make my frustration disappear. I had never seen someone look so lost and afraid. He was trying to hide it of course, but the hand he kept on his throat self-consciously and the frightened confusion in his eyes were a dead give away. I remember thinking he looked so fragile in the big hospital bed, and I barely resisted the urge to go embrace him and tell him everything would be okay. Instead I just went to sit beside his bed and I talked to him, telling him who I was, why I was there and how I had found him two years prior. At the end of my tale he was quite distressed, but he surprisingly didn't panic. It's then that I understood what a strong person he really was, and even more when he got that determined expression on his face.

The following days were a bit of a rush ; first, the police inspector came back. He interrogated Tyson, of course not getting much more information. He said he'd take another look into things anyway, to see if anything important had been discovered. Then a few weeks later Tyson had to leave the hospital, and Len and me offered to take him in until his identity was revealed. Frankly, I didn't want him to be placed in some kind of institution. Anyhow, after a long discussion, the police once again agreed to our terms while we agreed to theirs. They told us we would be Tyson's temporary tutors, for lack of a better term, and that we'd have to take care of him and of his re-education. An official from the social services would visit us monthly to see how things were going.

Of course we had not forgotten to ask for Tyson's own opinion. We didn't want to force him to come with us if he didn't want to... Thankfully he agreed, and I was happy to think that maybe we'd earned his trust. Together we'd chosen a name for him, so that Len and me could have something to call him until his memories got back. That's how _Tyson _temporarily became _Tao_.

The first year was the hardest, where Tyson had to learn how to walk again. It was hard and exhausting work, for us but most of all for him. Nonetheless, we managed. Tyson's own perseverance was contagious, and he faced every difficulty with a sort of courage I'd rarely seen. His will was unbreakable, and during that year Tyson gained not only mine and Len's affection, but also our admiration and respect. By then my parents had met him too and were just as taken with him, readily offering their help whenever we asked for it.

And so our first year together went by, with Tyson slowly but surely getting back on his legs. It was also the time where Tyson, Len and me started to learn sign language, so that we'd be able to communicate more easily. Until then, Tyson had used to go around with a little notebook so he could write down what he wanted to say. He was writing in japanese, which thankfully both Len and me understood well enough. But it wasn't telling much ; in our region a lot of people knew japanese, and they didn't necessarily come from Japan. Add to that, we had no way to know if it was Tyson's first language or if he'd learned it as a second one. All in all, that new information wasn't much help.

Unfortunately, no memories came back to him during that year. He often had dreams about places and people, but would forget them as soon as he woke up. I recall him being very annoyed by this. He was desperate to remember, but nothing concrete was happening. Out of everything else, I think that's what got him the most upset. Len and I encouraged him the best we could and told him not to give up, that it would all come back to him eventually. Secretly, we were both praying for that every night.

Our second year with Tyson started, and after only a few weeks into it he was officially out of re-education, having passed the final test with flying colors. He was told to keep exercising regularly though, or else the muscles and joints in his legs would ' rust ' and decrease in their efficacy, thus bringing him back to square one. If that happened, their was a risk that his legs would never work properly again. Tyson took the advice very seriously, and started doing three hours of strenuous work out every day.

It was during that second year, after about half of it had passed I'd say, that Tyson started to have flashbacks. The first ones he got gave him terrible headaches and even put him in bed for a few days sometimes. The doctor we called told us it was because of the stress on his brain, caused by the memories trying to come back. He then said not to panic, that it wasn't dangerous and that all we had to do was let Tyson rest when the headaches became too violent. The return of his memories was a natural process and we had to let it happen at its own rhythm. Thank God Tyson was allowed Aspirins !

The flashbacks, according to what Tyson told us, gradually became more regular and less painful. They became a little clearer each time, and by the end of the second year he could remember faces, buildings, events, places... Sadly the information was too vague. What we needed most were actual names, and Tyson could give none of that. Nothing he described gave any precise clue about _where_ he came from or _who_ he was. All he was telling us about could've been anywhere in China, Japan or North and South Corea. Nonetheless, we told the police the few things we knew, and they promised us to look into it"

June paused again for a moment and observed Tyson's friends. All their attention was on her and her words. She could read sadness on their features, as well as regret and disbelief. She couldn't pretend to understand how they were feeling at the moment... Helpless, probably. They would've wanted to be there for Tyson, but it hadn't been possible... They had thought him dead... Now there was no going back. June would've liked to help them too, but she knew that all she could really do was tell her story... Tyson's story. The rest would be up to them.

Looking at Tyson's own peaceful expression though, as the boy stared almost reverently at his and Kai's joined hands, June couldn't help but smile. It looked like things would be alright after all...

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**A/N : Okay, part one done. Don't worry, part two is already finished. I'll post it sometime tonight. I'd like to get a few reviews first... **

**Raiu : **Not as if you deserve them.

**Don't you ever shut up ? ...Anyhow folks, don't fret, you'll get the rest of this tonight (Tuesday, May 22, for those who want to be situated). I promise, no more long wait. This story is back on track !**

**Raiu : **Yipee...

**See, even Raiu's happy about it ! ...sort of... **

**Akari : **Please review, we love reviews ! See you soon guys !


	10. Miracle explained part 2

**A/N : Oups, this came a bit later than I had said... Sorry everyone ! You see, yesterday in the evening I made some last minute plans with two of my friends ; we went to see a movie, then we stopped to eat and we talked... In the end, it was very late when I got home, so I waited 'til this morning to post this chap. Sorry guys ! But I do have a life other than fanfictions you know ?**

**Raiu : **Yeah, who would've guessed ?

**Do I sense sarcasm, Raiu ?**

**Raiu : **Duh.

**I hate you... Anyway folks, here's chapter ten !**

**Akari : **Yay ! Read and enjoy !

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**.: Sweet tragedy :.**

by cherry fantasy

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Chapter ten : Miracle explained (part 2)

_Mr. Dickinson's office, 2h23 p.m. _

-

_Looking at Tyson's own peaceful expression though, as the boy stared almost reverently at his and Kai's joined hands, June couldn't help but smile. It looked like things would be alright after all... _

Averting her gaze from the two young men, June resumed her speech :

"It's halfway through the third year that something decisive finally happened. I remember it was a Sunday ; I was cooking dinner in the kitchen, Len was reading in the living room and Tyson was outside. The phone rang and I answered it. It was the police chief ; they had discovered Tyson's identity.

Dinner forgotten, we all headed straight to the police station. I was a nervous wreck, and Tyson and Len weren't fairing much better. When we arrived we were immediately leaded to the chief's office. The chief was there waiting for us ; he made us sit and then started talking.

It will probably come as no surprise to you, but Tyson's true identity had finally been discovered thanks to his rather famous reputation as Beyblade World Champion. The police chief expressed his deepest apologies about not finding it out sooner. He admitted to us that they had been very busy at the police station, and that Tyson's case hadn't been investigated as meticulously as it should have. Had it been, we would've received a call much sooner. But other inquiries, more urgent, had taken the priority over the one concerning Tyson, thus slowing down its progress. The chief looked so honestly mortified when he told us about it that despite our slight resentment, we found it in ourselves to forgive him.

Anyhow, another reason why Tyson's real identity wasn't found sooner was that despite our two countries being neighbors, beyblade isn't nearly as popular in North Corea as it is in Japan. Some people know about it, kids mostly, but it's not as big of a hit as in Japan, Europe or America, for example. We don't broadcast it as much as you, and we don't have so many advertisements about it. In fact, it was luck that helped solve Tyson's case : one of the newly recruited agents came from Japan, and his kids swore only by beyblade. The man brought some of his work home one day, Tyson's file amongst it, and his oldest son recognized Tyson's face at first glance.

The case was immediately reopened. After verification, the police discovered that Tao was indeed Tyson Kinomiya, Beyblade World Champion, presumed dead in a plane crash a little more than four years ago..."

June saw the others flinch at the words _' presumed dead '_. She gave them a moment to regain themselves, then she pursued :

"As the chief sat at his desk telling us all about this and about the procedure that we would now have to follow to get Tyson back to his home and to his loved ones, he showed us these pictures about beyblade tournaments, all of them starring Tyson. In some he was in the midst of a match, in others he was giving interviews, or holding up his victory trophy. Then some pictures showed him posing for beyblade advertisements, or even for some other products that needed a star to promote them. Len and I were quite amazed to see that Tyson was indeed a celebrity, and a very popular one at that. Tyson though was only interested by one set of pictures : the ones showing him with his friends and family.

I kept a careful eye on him as he swept through the lot, staring at each photo hard enough to burn a hole in the paper. I'm sure that he heard nothing of what the police chief was telling us at that moment. All his attention was on these pictures. When he suddenly focused on one in particular and started frowning, I nudged Len and motioned for him to look at Tyson too. We could tell that he was about to remember something. We weren't ready for what happened next though.

Suddenly, Tyson dropped everything and clutched his head, moaning in pain. I immediately rose to my feet and so did Len. The chief watched in confusion as we knelt beside Tyson. We tried to sooth him but it didn't work. I got worried then ; it had been a long time since he'd had flashbacks that painful. When Len and I noticed that it wasn't getting any better, in fact it was getting worse, we informed the chief that we would call him later and we left the police station. We were initially heading home, but when Tyson actually passed out from the pain on the ride there, we changed course and went to the hospital.

He woke up the next day, Len and me at his side. He looked at us then, and I could already tell that something was different. My doubts were confirmed when he sat up and signed to us that he remembered everything : his name, his past, his home, his friends. Everything. He looked both exalted and sad about it : happy to remember who he was, but sad to have missed all that time... Then the next minute he was urging me to call his grandpa, his father, his brother, his friends, _someone_, to let them know he was alright. Len and I had to work together to calm him ; a bit more and he would've been hyperventilating. He only accepted to rest when I told him that we would contact his family as soon as possible. I stayed with him while Len went back to the police station to take care of things with the chief.

We were able to join Tyson's grandfather easily enough. His father and brother were harder to find, both of them being in Syria for some archeological excavations at that moment. We managed to get a hold of them too though. Two days later Tyson's grandpa arrived in Sinp'o, and two other days after that his father and brother arrived as well. Their reunion was heartwarming ; I'm not sure who cried the most, although I'm ready to bet it must've been me ! Len and I got practically showered with thanks and words of gratitude from Tyson's family. Those few days we passed together were probably the happiest ones we'd had since we'd let Tyson into our home. I know I'll never forget them..."

June smiled warmly and shot a look at Tyson, who readily smiled back. She then cleared her throat and continued :

"Formalities were quickly over with the police, and Tyson's case was closed with success. However, we were left with one problem : getting Tyson back to Japan without the media going berserk. Because of his fame, we realized that Tyson would not only have to deal with his own entourage when the news of his ' revival ' would get out : he'd have to deal with a horde of fans and journalists as well. His miraculous come back would be the scoop of the year. He wouldn't get a moment of peace.

Tyson's family was very displeased at the idea. They wanted some quiet time with him, in private, to enjoy his return in their lives when they had thought him lost, and being assaulted by a crew of reporters on a daily basis wasn't exactly what they had in mind. Tyson himself wasn't thrilled by that situation. There was always the possibility of staying in Sinp'o for a few months ; Len and me would've been more than happy to house everyone. But Tyson's grandpa couldn't leave the dojo without care for so long... Add to that, Tyson was really missing home now that he realized how much time he'd been away, and he wanted to get back as soon as possible. We could always keep his return a secret for a while, but we also knew that we couldn't hide him forever. The news would have to get out eventually.

Finally, it was decided that Tyson would make his return to Japan in the utmost secrecy, and that his presence would be kept hidden from the public for a few months. It would give him and his family some peaceful time to catch up. Then, the four of them would select a date of their choosing to reveal their secret to the media. The _when_, _where_ and _how_ would be their decision. We all thought it was better that way. However, we quickly realized that to do all that, we would need a bit of help... In the end, it was Tyson's brother who came up with a solution"

At that point, June stopped talking and turned toward Mr. Dickinson. The others turned toward him too as he picked up where June had left off :

"A bit more than five months ago," Mr. D started, "I received a call from North Corea, along with a rather mind-boggling news. I think I would have believed it to be a hoax if it hadn't been Tyson's brother himself on the phone. He told me all about Tyson and everything that had happened, after what he asked for my help to get Tyson back in Japan as discreetly as possible. He explained their plan to me and asked if I would also be willing to help them set a time and a place to reveal Tyson's return to the general public. I was stunned by all I had just learned, to say the least, but I readily agreed to give them my assistance.

I had a private plane pick up Tyson and his family in Sinp'o. At the last minute Miss June and her boyfriend also decided to come, as they were both very reluctant to part with Tyson so quickly. The idea then came to me that it would be very convenient if Miss June could stay in Japan with Tyson for the first few months, to act as an interpreter for him when it would be necessary, and to teach his family sign language. It would come in handy, and it would save us the trouble of hiring someone else, whom we couldn't be sure would keep Tyson's secret..."

"I was very happy to accept" June intervened with a smile. "I have my own office and I work independently, so I can take a break anytime I wish. It was not a problem for Len either, since he is a writer and can do his work anywhere. Mr. Dickinson provided transport, and Tyson insisted we reside at the dojo with him and his family, so there was really nothing stopping us from going"

"And so," Mr. Dickinson pursued, "the plane I'd sent flew everyone back to Japan in secrecy. I then went myself to pick them up at the airport, and we managed to get Tyson home without anyone noticing anything odd.

The next step was to decide how and when we would let the media know about Tyson's rather unexpected come back. I had the perfect answer to that question, though. You see, the BBA Grand Get Together was planned since quite some time already, and I thought it would be the perfect occasion for Tyson to reveal himself. Also, it left him and his family at least another five months to peacefully enjoy being reunited"

"We all thought it was a great idea," declared June, "and everything else went rather smoothly from there on. We had time to teach Tyson's family sign language, while they got their private moment to enjoy the return of their loved one. Then, a few days before the BBA Grand Get Together, we came here to Kyoto and cautiously moved Tyson to this hotel, incognito, before moving in ourselves some hours later. Again nobody noticed anything. Tyson was to stay hidden until tonight, when he is to make his appearance as the ' surprise ' we promised... However, this morning he came to us, practically pleading to let the five of you know before the others.

After thinking about it, we also decided that it might be better that way. You were his closest friends after all, and we figured that you had a right to be told first... So Mr. Dickinson went to get you, and... well, here we are now"

That was it. The story was over. Or at least, the overall, detail-less version of the story... There was probably much more to be told. Five years was a long time. But everything that hadn't been said would probably stay that way unless Tyson himself decided to make it known.

Silence settled in Mr. Dickinson's office. It didn't last long though, as soon Max's voice was asking :

"Why didn't you tell us ? I mean... when Tyson came back in Japan, couldn't you have let the five of us know ? Why wait until today ? It's just... I understand not wanting to let the media find out right away, but what about us ? Tyson is our friend, we... we missed him so much... We've been through a lot together... I mean, don't we count as family too ?"

The blond youth was on the verge of tears now, voice trembling and eyes downwards. Someone placed a hand on his shoulder ; thinking it to be Ray, Max raised his head, only to come face to face with Tyson standing right before him. The blue-haired blader smiled softly and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, then he made a few motions with his hands and looked at June. The woman smiled and translated :

"He says that of course you're part of his family, all of you, and that you'll always be"

"Then why keep us in the dark about his return ?" Ray asked, looking at Mr. Dickinson.

The man sighed and answered :

"We meant no harm, Ray. The five of you were practically spread out at the four corners of the world, and you were all very busy with your lives. You, Ray, were going through your college exams. Max and his mom were working on a new project. The company where Kenny works was in the middle of an important transaction. Hilary was about to publish the new issue of her magazine and Kai... well Kai was simply not giving any news. We just thought it would be better to wait until you were all reunited here, with all the free time necessary. It's not that we forgot about you, rest assured. In fact, Tyson was very displeased at having to wait another five months to see you, but we convinced him that it would be easier for everyone that way. We're very sorry if you think we did you wrong, it wasn't our intention"

The five glanced at each other... Finally, Hilary said :

"No, it's alright. You probably did the right thing..."

Mr. Dickinson smiled gratefully, getting small smiles out of them in return... except from Kai of course, but that wasn't new.

In reality, Kai was barely listening to what was being said. Half of him was... but the other half was focused entirely on Tyson. The blue-haired youth had come back to sit beside him after going to comfort Max, and he'd allowed Kai to take back his hand without protest. Kai didn't even wonder about it. He was just glad that Tyson was letting him do it... He needed that touch so bad right now... That touch was proof that his blue angel was real, that he was back at his side, alive and safe... His Tyson, his angel, his miracle... Kai would never let him out of his sight again...

He was startled from his thoughts when June suddenly rose and told them with a smile :

"I'm sure you would like some time alone with your friend now. You're free to bring him to one of your rooms if you want. It would certainly be more comfortable. Tyson, just remember to cover your face when you're out in the hallways, and try to avoid other people if possible. We don't want to ruin tonight's surprise !"

Tyson smiled and nodded before rising to his feet, his friends immediately imitating him as if afraid he'd suddenly take off and run away.

"You still have lots of time before tonight's ceremony" June pursued. "It starts at 6 p.m, so just make sure to get Tyson back here... let's see... at least 15 minutes before that. Yes, this should be enough. Then you five head for the dinning room with the others, ok ? How does that sounds ?"

"Just fine" answered Ray.

June smiled and said while shooing them toward the doors :

"Well then, off you go ! If you need me or Mr. Dickinson, we'll be right here"

As they neared the doors, Tyson turned back to wink at them before raising his free hand (the one that Kai wasn't holding) to pull back his velvet hood, hiding his face from sight. Tyson then opened one of the doors and moved out in the hallway, as silent and graceful as a shadow, dragging a slightly mesmerized Kai behind him. Max, Ray, Kenny and Hilary quickly followed suit.

June closed the door behind them, a happy smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes.

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**A/N : Okay, how was it ? Good, bad, horrifying ? Be honest people, I want to know !**

**Raiu : **You could regret asking that.

**Oh, why's that ?**

**Raiu : **Cause this is horrible.

**As if you know anything about writing fics...**

**Raiu : **I'm a muse, aren't I ?

**Yeah, by some kind of supernatural phenomenon. Anyway people, please review !**

**Akari : **Yes, send lots of reviews ! See you next chapter !


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